Frequency, clinical features and risk factors of lacunar infarction - (Data from a stroke registry from South India)

Analysis of 893 patients of ischaemic stroke in the stroke registry of Nizam's institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad is presented. 16% of them had lacunar infarction, The mean age at presentation was 56.9 years and male to female ratio was 3.5:1, The common risk factors included hypertension(62%),diabetes(38%) and smoking(28%). Six percent had an underlying cardiac source of embolism and none had significant (>50%) extracranial carotid atherosclerosis, In 22% of patients, no obvious risk factors could be identified. The frequency of risk factors was similar in patients with lacunar and nonlacunar infarctions. However, patients with lacunar infarction had higher frequency of diabetes and absence of significant (>50%) extracranial carotid artery disease. Pure motor hemiparesis was the presenting syndrome in 45% patients. Ataxic hemiparesis and sensorimotor stroke accounted for 18% each and dysarthria-clumsy hand syndrome for 14%, This study suggests that the frequency, risk factors and clinical profile of lacunar infarction in our stroke registry is similar to most of the western stroke registries.