Publications by authors named "Lauri Tulkki"
Background: Previously undetected antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) potentially provide explanations for early-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS). Prior association studies conducted over a decade ago were inconclusive and not focused on patients with CIS.
Methods: SECRETO is a multi-center case-control study enrolling patients aged 18-49 years with imaging-positive acute CIS and 1:1 matched stroke-free controls.
Background: The incidence of young-onset ischemic stroke is rising, driven by cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) and patients without vascular risk factors. This study examines the burden and associations of modifiable traditional, nontraditional, and female sex-specific risk factors with young-onset CIS, stratified by clinically relevant patent foramen ovale (PFO), defined by high-risk features of atrial septal aneurysm or large right-to-left shunt.
Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients aged 18 to 49 years with recent CIS and frequency-matched stroke-free controls of the same age and sex from 19 European sites.
Background And Objectives: Psychosocial stress is a potentially modifiable risk factor of early-onset ischemic stroke, with limited evidence suggesting a stronger association between stress and cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) compared with strokes of known etiology. We aimed to explore the association between self-perceived stress and CIS, with subgroup analyses stratified by sex and age.
Methods: Young patients aged 18-49 years with a first-ever CIS and sex-matched and age-matched stroke-free controls from 19 European centers were included.
Early vascular aging ambulatory score in acute ischemic stroke.
NPJ Aging
February 2025
Understanding the impact of early vascular aging (EVA) on acute ischemic stroke (AIS) outcomes may provide new insights for improving prognostic assessments and developing targeted therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to validate the EVA ambulatory score (EVAAs) in AIS patients, assessing its association with stroke type, severity, and prognosis. Among the 2,730 AIS patients with a mean age of 72.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssociation between heavy alcohol consumption and cryptogenic ischaemic stroke in young adults: a case-control study.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
January 2025
Article Synopsis
- The study examined the link between heavy alcohol use and young-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) in individuals aged 18-49.
- Patients showed significantly higher rates of heavy drinking compared to stroke-free controls, with 13.7% of CIS patients classified as heavy alcohol users versus 6.7% of controls.
- The findings suggest that heavy alcohol consumption, especially binge drinking, is an independent risk factor for CIS in young men, but not in women.
Introduction: Scarce data exist on the etiology of recurrent ischemic strokes (ISs) among young adults. We analyzed the etiology of first-ever and recurrent events and the differences between them.
Patients And Methods: Patients aged 15-49 years with a first-ever IS in 1994-2007 were included in the Helsinki Young Stroke Registry.
Article Synopsis
- Up to 40% of ischemic strokes in young patients are cryptogenic, leading to a study comparing blood pressure profiles between these patients and stroke-free controls.
- The study involved 132 young patients with cryptogenic ischemic strokes and 106 controls, assessing 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure patterns, including day/night variations.
- Results indicated that non-dipping patterns of diastolic blood pressure were linked to cryptogenic ischemic strokes, particularly in patients without a patent foramen ovale, suggesting different underlying causes for strokes in patients with and without this condition.
Obesity and the Risk of Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis
May 2022
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated the link between obesity and early-onset cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) in young adults, focusing on how fat distribution and gender might influence this relationship.
- - In a sample of 345 young patients with acute CIS and an equal number of stroke-free controls, the research found a significant association between higher waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) and the risk of CIS, particularly in women.
- - Results indicated that while WHR was a strong independent risk factor for CIS in young adults, other obesity measures like body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference did not show a similar association after controlling for various factors.
Article Synopsis
- The study examines the rate of young patients not returning to work (NRTW) one year after experiencing an ischemic stroke (IS) and identifies clinical factors linked to this outcome.
- A total of 769 young patients were analyzed, revealing that 37.6% were not back at work one year post-stroke, with that number increasing over time.
- Key factors associated with NRTW included the severity and type of stroke, presence of aphasia or limb weakness, and visual field deficits, highlighting the potential for early prediction of recovery outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- High blood pressure (BP) during the acute phase of ischemic stroke is linked to worse long-term outcomes, particularly among young adults aged 15 to 49, according to a study of 1004 patients.
- The study found that higher admission BP measurements (systolic, diastolic, pulse pressure, and mean arterial pressure) were significantly associated with an increased risk of recurrent strokes over a median follow-up of 8.9 years.
- Specifically, patients with systolic BP ≥160 mm Hg had a 3.3 times higher likelihood of experiencing a recurrent stroke compared to those with lower BP, indicating the importance of managing BP in young stroke patients.