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(Stroke. 2009;40:966.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Research Letters

Prevalence of Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack in Korean Elders

Findings From the Korean Longitudinal Study on Health and Aging (KLoSHA)

Moon-Ku Han, MD, PhD; Yoonseok Huh, MD; Seok Bum Lee, MD; Joon Hyuk Park, MD; Jung Jae Lee, MD; Eun Ae Choi, MD; Jae-Young Lim, MD, PhD; Soo Lim, MD, PhD; Kwang-il Kim, MD, PhD; Young Joo Park, MD, PhD; Nam-Jong Paik, MD, PhD; Tae Kyun Kim, MD, PhD; Hak C. Jang, MD, PhD; Ki Woong Kim, MD, PhD Korean Consortium for Health and Aging Research

From the Departments of Neurology (M.-K.H.), Neuropsychiatry (Y.H., J.H.P., J.J.L., K.W.M.), Rehabilitation Medicine (J.-Y.L., N.-J.P.), Internal Medicine (S.L., K.-i.K., Y.J.P., H.C.J.), and Orthopedic Surgery (T.K.K.), Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Gyeonggido, Korea; the Department of Psychiatry (S.B.L.), Dankuk University Hospital, Chungcheongnamdo, Korea; the Department of Psychiatry (E.A.C.), Gongju National Hospital, Chungcheongnamdo, Korea; and the Department of Psychiatry (K.W.K.), Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence to Ki Woong Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumi-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 463-707, Korea. E-mail kwkimmd{at}snu.ac.kr

Background and Purpose— Studies on the epidemiology of stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are very limited in Asian elderly populations. We investigate the prevalence, risk factors, and neuropsychiatric comorbidities of stroke and TIA in community-dwelling Korean elders.

Methods— Standardized face-to-face interviews, neurological examinations, and physical examinations were conducted in 714 randomly sampled community-dwelling Korean elders aged 65 years. Diagnoses of stroke and TIA were made according to the World Health Organization criteria.

Results— Age- and education-standardized prevalences of stroke, TIA, and cerebrovascular disorder (implying stroke or TIA) were estimated to be 10.1%, 8.9%, and 15.4%, respectively, in Korean elders. Hypertension and current smoking were associated with the risk of stroke, whereas atrial fibrillation, high diastolic blood pressure, high serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and hypertension were associated with the risk of TIA. Cerebrovascular disorder was associated with the risk of major depressive disorder, vascular dementia, and nonamnestic mild cognitive impairment (P<0.05).

Conclusion— Prevalences of stroke and TIA in Korean elders were higher than in white elders. Stroke and TIA were associated with increased risk of depression and cognitive disorders.

Key Words: elderly • Korean • prevalence • stroke • transient ischemic attack