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J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 80:232-234 doi:10.1136/jnnp.2008.151324
  • Short report

Vascular risk factors and morphometric data in cervical artery dissection: a case-control study

  1. M Arnold1,2,
  2. B Pannier3,
  3. H Chabriat1,
  4. K Nedeltchev2,
  5. C Stapf1,
  6. F Buffon1,
  7. I Crassard1,
  8. F Thomas3,
  9. L Guize3,
  10. R W Baumgartner4,
  11. M-G Bousser1
  1. 1
    Assistance Publique, Hôpitaux de Paris, Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Lariboisière, Paris, France
  2. 2
    Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
  3. 3
    Clinical and Preventive Investigations Center (IPC), Paris, France
  4. 4
    University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  1. Dr M Arnold, Service de neurologie, Hôpital Lariboisière, 2, rue Ambroise Paré 75475, Paris Cedex 10, France; marcel.arnold{at}insel.ch
  • Received 5 April 2008
  • Revised 9 July 2008
  • Accepted 12 July 2008

Abstract

Background: Limited knowledge exists on vascular risk factors, body height and weight in patients with spontaneous cervical artery dissection (sCAD).

Patients and methods: In this case-control study, major vascular risk factors, body weight, body height and body mass index (BMI) of 239 patients obtained from a prospective hospital-based sCAD registry were compared with 516 age- and sex-matched healthy controls undergoing systematic health examinations in the Clinical and Preventive Investigations Center, Paris. Gender-specific analyses were performed.

Results: The mean body height was higher in sCAD patients than in controls (171.3 cm (SD 8.6) vs 167.7 cm (8.9); p<0.0001) and sCAD patients had a significantly lower mean body weight (67.5 (12.2) kg vs 69.3 (14.6) kg; p<0.001) and mean BMI (22.9 (3.3) kg/m2 vs 24.5 (4.2) kg/m2; p<0.0001) than controls. The overall frequency of hypertension, diabetes, current smoking, past smoking and hypercholesterolaemia did not differ significantly between sCAD patients and controls. The mean total plasma cholesterol level was identical in both groups (5.5 mmol/l, SD 1.1). Gender specific subgroup analyses showed similar results for men and women.

Conclusion: Patients with sCAD had a higher body height and a lower body weight and BMI than controls, while major vascular risk factors were similar in sCAD patients and controls.

Footnotes

  • See Editorial Commentary, p 130

  • Competing interests: None.

  • Ethics approval: Ethics approval was provided by Comité National d'Informatique et de Libertés, Paris, France.

  • Patient consent: Obtained.