Racial differences in ischemic cerebrovascular disease: clinical and magnetic resonance angiographic correlations of white and Asian patients

Abstract

Objectives: We explored racial differences in ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Methods: Clinical and magnetic resonance angiographic (MRA) features were compared in 21 white and 21 Asian patients with symptomatic ischemic cerebrovascular disease.

Results: When all carotid artery sites were combined and compared, whites had more stenotic lesions of internal carotid artery origin, and Asians had more stenotic lesions of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) stem. In the vertebrobasilar territory, there were no significant differences in the distribution of extracranial and intracranial stenotic lesions between the two races. In symptomatic territories, the distribution of extracranial and intracranial stenosis were not significant differences for white and Asian patients. In asymptomatic territories, whites had a higher tendency for isolated extracranial stenosis, whereas Asians had an increased incidence of isolated intracranial stenosis. In the combined symptomatic and asymptomatic, carotid and vertebrobasilar territories, there was an increased incidence of extracranial carotid stenotic lesions in white patients and intracranial anterior circulation stenotic lesions in Asians. Demographic factors alone seemed to explain the difference.

Conclusions: Racial differences in the occurrence of extracranial and intracranial lesions raise the possibility of different pathophysiologic abnormalities.