Analysis of Non-Cardiogenic Young Minor Ischemic Stroke Patients’ Risk Factors in Chinese Han Population

BACKGROUND Young adults with minor ischemic stroke (MIS) often experience early onset and mild symptoms but face a high recurrence rate. Research into risk factors and etiology of young adult MIS in developing countries is limited. We investigated these aspects in young non-cardiogenic MIS patients from the Chinese Han population and identified risk factors for initial stroke and long-term poor prognosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from MIS patients aged 18 to 50 years and a healthy control group at The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University and The Third People's Hospital of Hefei City from January 2019 to July 2023 were analyzed. Risk factors and stroke etiology were compared. ROC curves assessed the predictive ability of original and modified Essen Stroke Risk Scores (ESRS). RESULTS Among 155 patients, 25 (16.1%) experienced recurrence within a year. Patients with MIS differed significantly from the control group in sex, hypertension history, diabetes, dyslipidemia, smoking, higher biomarkers (SBP, TG, VLDL-C, hs-CRP, WBC, RBC, NEUT, HB), and lower HDL-C. Univariate analysis found dyslipidemia, moderate to severe vascular stenosis, resting heart rate, and modified ESRS scores linked to recurrence. Multivariate analysis identified dyslipidemia, vascular stenosis, and resting heart rate as key risk factors. Large artery atherosclerosis was the most common stroke etiology (59.2%). ROC curves revealed areas under the curve for ESRS, modified ESRS-1, and modified ESRS-2 as 0.550, 0.660, and 0.937, respectively. CONCLUSIONS MIS was associated with a high recurrence rate and specific risk factors. Improved ESRS effectively predicted stroke recurrence within 1 year, with large artery atherosclerosis being the predominant etiology.