A 10% Prevalence of Silent Stroke Found in "Healthy" Adults

Caroline Cassels Medscape Medical News 2008. © 2008 Medscape June 26, 2008 — About 10% of apparently healthy middle-aged adults have experienced silent cerebral infarcts (SCI), according to the latest results from the Framingham Offspring Study. Furthermore, the study found risk factors typically associated with clinical stroke, including hypertension, elevated serum homocysteine, and carotid artery disease, are also associated with midlife SCI. The study's findings are consistent with previous community-based studies, which have estimated the prevalence of SCI between 5.8% and 17.7%, depending on age, ethnicity, presence of comorbidities, and imaging techniques. The study is published online June 26 in Stroke.