Risk factors and prevalence of strokes in patients with multiple sclerosis

Introduction . Numerous data on increased risk of stroke in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) needs clarification in view of shared pathogenesis and immunotherapy risks. The objective was to assess risk factors, prevalence and misdiagnosis of stroke in MS patients for future prevention optimization. Methods and materials . Cross-sectional retrospective study of risk factors, prevalence and misdiagnosis of stroke in cohort of 563 MS patients aged 40 years and older. Results. The cohort under study was representative in terms of gender ratio and MS variants. Stroke rate established as 1.78 % in MS type and gender representative cohort. Ischemic stroke was in 9/10 cases and ischemic venous stroke with hemorrhage in 1/10. Stroke misdiagnosis at MS first presentation estimated as 1.95 %. Stroke risk factors seems to be less prevalent in MS cohort compared to general population, with ischemic heart disease (OR=23.9) and arterial hypertension (OR=7.2) as most significant risk indicators. Conclusion. Stroke prevalence in MS patients may be lower than that in general population. Low rate of arterial hypertension (25.4 %), ischemic heart disease (3.4 %), smoking (10.7 %), diabetes mellitus (3.2 %), and obesity (9.1 %) may influence stroke low rate in MS. Arterial hypertension and ischemic heart disease are the most significant stroke risk factors in MS.