Ischaemic stroke

Last reviewed: 9 May 2023
Last updated: 24 Jan 2023

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • unilateral weakness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg
  • dysphasia
  • ataxia
  • visual disturbance
  • risk factors
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • sensory loss (numbness)
  • dysarthria
  • headache
  • gaze paresis
  • arrhythmias, murmurs, or pulmonary oedema
  • vertigo
  • nausea and/or vomiting
  • neck or facial pain
  • miosis, ptosis, and facial anhidrosis (hemilateral)
  • decreased level of consciousness or coma
Full details

Risk factors

  • older age
  • family history of stroke
  • history of ischaemic stroke or TIA
  • hypertension
  • smoking
  • diabetes mellitus
  • atrial fibrillation
  • comorbid cardiac conditions
  • carotid artery stenosis
  • sickle cell disease
  • dyslipidaemia
  • lower levels of education
  • African-American or Hispanic ancestry
  • poor diet and nutrition
  • physical inactivity
  • obesity
  • alcohol abuse
  • oestrogen-containing therapy
  • obstructive sleep apnoea
  • illicit drug use
  • migraine
  • hyperhomocysteinaemia
  • elevated lipoprotein(a)
  • hypercoagulable states
  • elevated C-reactive protein
  • aortic arch plaques
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • non-contrast CT head
  • serum glucose
  • serum electrolytes
  • serum urea and creatinine
  • cardiac enzymes
  • FBC
  • ECG
  • prothrombin time and PTT (with INR)
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • serum toxicology screen
  • diffusion-weighted MRI head
  • CT angiography or MR angiography ± contrast
  • CT or MRI perfusion-weighted imaging
  • carotid ultrasound
  • echocardiogram
Full details

Treatment algorithm

INITIAL

suspected ischaemic stroke

ACUTE

confirmed ischaemic stroke

Contributors

Expert advisers

Matthew Jones, MD, FRCP

Consultant Neurologist

Greater Manchester Neurosciences Centre

Salford Royal Foundation Trust

Honorary Senior Lecturer

University of Manchester

Manchester

UK

Disclosures

MJ is the chair of the Association of British Neurologists Education Committee (unpaid position). MJ is a faculty member of an MRCP revision course.

Rachael Power, MBChB, MRCP

Neurology Registrar

Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences

Manchester

UK

Disclosures

RP has been sponsored by Novartis to attend the International Headache Conference.

Acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice would like to gratefully acknowledge the previous expert contributor for this topic, whose work has been retained in parts of the content:

George Ntaios, MD, MSc (ESO Stroke Medicine), PhD, FESO

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Medical School

University of Thessaly

Greece

Disclosures

GN is on the advisory boards for, and has received honoraria, speaker fees, and research support from: Amgen, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, BMS/Pfizer, Elpen, Galenica, Medtronic, Sanofi, and Winmedica.

Acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Hamish McAuley for his previous involvement in the creation of comorbidity content relevant to asthma and COPD.

Peer reviewers

Kayvan Khadjooi, MD, FRCP, PGCertMedEd

Consultant in Stroke Medicine

Addenbrooke’s Hospital

Associate Lecturer

School of Clinical Medicine

University of Cambridge

Cambridge

UK

Disclosures

KK has received travel grants for conferences/speaker honoraria from Bayer, Boehringer, Daiichi-Sankyo, Pfizer, and Shire.

Editors

Helena Delgado-Cohen

Section Editor, BMJ Best Practice

Disclosures

HDC declares that she has no competing interests.

Tannaz Aliabadi-Oglesby

Lead Section Editor, BMJ Best Practice

Disclosures

TAO declares that she has no competing interests.

Julie Costello

Comorbidities Editor, BMJ Best Practice

Disclosures

JC declares that she has no competing interests.

Adam Mitchell

Drug Editor, BMJ Best Practice

Disclosures

AM declares that he has no competing interests.

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