Characterisation of recent trends in cardiovascular risk factors in young and middle-aged patients with ischaemic stroke and/or transient ischaemic attack

Abstract Background: Strokes in the young and middle-aged are associated with a disproportionately large economic and social impact in addition to their clinical effects. Standard Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors (SMuRFs; hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and smoking) are key drivers of cardiovascular disease including strokes, however recent temporal trends in the younger stroke population have not been well characterised. We aimed to evaluate recent trends of SMuRFs in a cohort of younger patients with ischaemic stroke. Methods Consecutive patients aged Results Of 487 patients (53.49 ± 9.13 yrs., 60% men) analysed, 23% did not have SMuRFs. The proportion of “non-SMuRF” patients increased over time (p  Conclusions The proportion of younger stroke patients without SMuRFs is substantial and has increased over time. Our findings highlight the need for further research to better understand the mechanisms underlying stroke development in this population and whether less risk factor treatment in this population could impact longer term outcomes.