Aging as a Risk Factor for Cerebrovascular Disease

Objective: to analyse the effect of age as a risk factor (RF) for cerebrovascular disease (CVD) and its relationship with other RF in patients with RF for CVD, ischemic CVD and in a control subjects. Material and methods: The study included 68 patients with chronic unilateral cerebral infarctions (CCI), 29 patients with Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), 72 patients with RF for CVD and 47 healthy subjects. A questionnaire for RF for CVD was filled. The basic hemorheological (hematocrit, fibrinogen, plasma and whole blood viscosity) and lipid (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol) variables were examined. The index of erythrocyte aggregation (IEA) and the index of oxygen transport to tissues (TO2) were calculated. By means of ultrasound duplex-scanning of the common carotid (CCA) and internal carotid arteries (ICA) the presence and type of atherosclerotic plaques, the intima-media thickness (IMT) and the blood flow velocity parameters were evaluated. Results: The most frequent risk factor is arterial hypertension. The increase of cholesterol and triglycerides predominates in the patients with RF for CVD and CCI. The hemorheological investigation reveals significant increase of fibrinogen and plasma viscosity in the patients with TIA and of whole blood viscosity at different shear rates in all patients` groups. The increase of IEA is significant only in the patients with CCI and the decrease of TO2 -in the groups with RF for CVD and CCI. Heterogeneous atherosclerotic plagues in the ICA, which lead to low-degree stenoses, predominate in the patients with CVD. Increasing of the diameter of the CCA in the patients with TIAs and CCI is observed. The IIMT is higher in all patients in comparison to the controls. The significant correlations of the hemorheological and lipid variables with age predominate in the controls, where the increase of cholesterol, triglycerides and whole blood viscosity and the decrease of TO2 correlate with age. The age factor correlates with increase of the diameters of the CCA and ICA and of the IMT Discussion: The results confirm the adverse effects.f age on some risk factors for CVD, associated with pathological changes in the cerebral circulation and carotid walls. Among them the hemorheological and lipid factors and the carotid atherosclerosis play a leading role.