Advances in Stroke
Prevention and Health Services Delivery 2012–2013

Introduction
Individual cohort studies may lack the sample size necessary for precise subgroup estimates of vascular risk. Whether women and men are at similar cigarette smoking-related stroke risk was uncertain. A meta-analysis of 81 cohorts, including almost 4 million persons, found both women (relative risk [RR], 1.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58–2.1) and men (RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.49–1.88) who are current cigarette smokers are at increased stroke risk with the risk similar regardless of sex (RR ratio for women versus men, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.99–1.13).1 Another study confirmed the association between physical inactivity and stroke risk (hazard ratio [HR], 1.20; 95% CI, 1.02–1.42), an effect that was partially attenuated by traditional stroke risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, body mass index, alcohol use, and smoking; HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.95–1.37), suggesting that exercise might partially reduce the effect of other risk factors or reflect a healthy-user effect.2
Up to one third of strokes are cryptogenic. A randomized trial found that 7 days of noninvasive cardiac-event monitoring, in addition to a standard evaluation, beginning within 7 days of stroke detected atrial fibrillation in 44% of patients compared with 4% having a standard evaluation alone (P<0.001).3 Prolonged cardiac monitoring may …
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- Advances in StrokeAnne L. Abbott and Larry B. GoldsteinStroke. 2014;45:371-372, originally published January 27, 2014https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.004328
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