Is Acute Ischemic Stroke Really Associated with Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction? A Case-Control Study

Context: Heart failure and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are frequently associated, due to similar risk factors and intertwined pathophysiologic mechanisms, and both result in a high mortality rate. Aims: Our objective was to demonstrate that left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) is associated with AIS. Settings and Design: Prospective matched, case-control study on 110 patients with AIS. Methods and Material: The patients in the control group (CG) without history of AIS and the same inclusion criteria were matched for age, sex, and atrial fibrillation (AF) prevalence. Statistical Analysis Used: Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis. Results: LVSD of any degree was not statistically more or less frequent in AIS patients than in the CG. The same was true if only the patients with AF were considered (the prevalence of LVSD was not significantly different in patients with AIS and AF than in controls with AF). However, among the patients without AF the proportion of patients with normal systolic function was significantly higher in the controls than in the AIS group (P = 0.036). There was no significant difference regarding LVSD either between the patients with cardioembolic AIS and those with noncardioembolic AIS or between the AIS patients with AF and AIS patients without AF. Conclusions: Our study concluded that the prevalence of LVSD was the same in AIS patients and controls matched for age, sex, and AF prevalence, although the prevalence of LVSD was indeed higher in AIS patients without AF than in controls without AF.