PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Harrison, M J
AU  - Pollock, S
AU  - Thomas, D
AU  - Marshall, J
TI  - Haematocrit, hypertension and smoking in patients with transient ischaemic attacks and in age and sex matched controls.
AID  - 10.1136/jnnp.45.6.550
DP  - 1982 Jun 01
TA  - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry
PG  - 550--551
VI  - 45
IP  - 6
4099  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/45/6/550.short
4100  - http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/45/6/550.full
SO  - J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry1982 Jun 01; 45
AB  - The blood pressure, smoking habit and haemotocrit of 154 patients with transient ischaemic attacks and 191 age-and sex-matched neurological controls were studied. Regression analysis revealed that the haematocrit value was related to both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and to smoking. Smoking elevated the haematocrit by 1.9 +/- 0.59 in males and by 2.18 +/- 0.68 in females. When these associations were allowed for there was still evidence of a higher haematocrit in patients with transient ischaemic attacks (plus 1.44 +/- 0.56 in males and 0.75 +/- 0.75 in females p less than 0.02). The role of an elevated haematocrit in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease and its management are briefly discussed.