South asian patients with ischemic stroke : Intracranial large arteries are the predominant site of disease

South Asians are the most prevalent ethnic group in the world. Intracranial disease is the most common vascular lesion worldwide. We prospectively studied 200 consecutive ethnic South Asian patients with acute ischemic stroke in Singapore. Intracranial large-artery disease was prevalent among 54% of all stroke subtypes and was independently associated with hypertension and higher serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Among ethnic South Asian patients with ischemic stroke, intracranial large arteries are the predominant site of disease.