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David Gaist

Publications and source records attributed to David Gaist.

20 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Cessation of smoking after first-ever stroke: a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cessation of smoking is widely recommended in patients with stroke to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and recurrent stroke, but little is known regarding how patients modify their smoking habits after a stroke. We used data from a prospective follow-up study to assess modification of smoking habits and to identify predictors of persistent smoking after first-ever stroke. METHODS: All patients admitted to the only neurology department of Funen County (465 000 inhabitants) with first-ever stroke from August 1, 1999, to January 31, 2001, were prospectively identified. A comprehensive structured interview was completed both during hospitalization and at 6-month follow-up. The interview comprised questions on education, occupation, marital status, lifestyle, concomitant diseases, and functional disability. We estimated the relative risk of persistent smoking at follow-up using unconditional logistic regression. RESULTS: We identified 734 patients with a first-ever stroke in the study period. One hundred three patients (14%) died in the 6-month period after their admission. A total of 511 patients (81%) who participated in the interview both on admission and at follow-up were included in the present study. Among 198 patients (38.7%) who were current smokers on admission, 43 patients (21.7%) gave up smoking within 6 months of suffering a stroke. Sex, functional status, and sociodemographic characteristics were independently associated with persistent smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that more efficient antismoking counseling is required to reduce the proportion of persistent smokers after stroke. This counseling should take into account the increased risk of persistent smoking in men, patients with no disability, blue-collar workers, and patients living alone.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Genetic liability in stroke: a long-term follow-up study of Danish twins.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Few studies have assessed the overall importance of genetic factors on stroke risk, and the results have been contradictory. We used a large, population-based twin register and nationwide registries of death and hospitalization with long-term follow-up to estimate the effect of genetic factors on the risk of stroke. METHODS: Through the population-based Danish Twin Register, we identified same-sex twin pairs born in 1870 through 1952 for whom at least 1 twin was recorded under a stroke diagnosis in the Register of Causes of Death or the Danish National Discharge Register. From the day of the first stroke event in each twin pair, the live co-twins were followed up for stroke. In survival analyses, we estimated the age- and sex-adjusted effect of zygosity on the risk of stroke death or hospitalization for stroke. Concordance rates, tetrachoric correlations, and heritability were also assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-five of 351 monozygotic pairs (10%) and 34 of 639 dizygotic pairs (5%) were concordant for stroke death. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of stroke death in monozygotic compared with dizygotic co-twins was 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.3). The probandwise concordance rates were 0.18 (95% CI, 0.14 to 0.22) for monozygotic and 0.10 (95% CI, 0.08 to 0.13) for dizygotic pairs. Thirty-three of 309 monozygotic pairs (11%) and 39 of 560 dizygotic pairs (7%) were concordant for stroke hospitalization or stroke death. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk of stroke hospitalization or stroke death in monozygotic compared with dizygotic co-twins was 1.5 (95% CI, 0.9 to 2.4). The probandwise concordance rates were 0.19 (95% CI, 0.15 to 0.24) for monozygotic and 0.13 (95% CI, 0.10 to 0.16) for dizygotic pairs. The heritability estimates were 0.32 for the liability to stroke death and 0.17 for the liability to stroke hospitalization or stroke death. CONCLUSIONS: The observed increased risk of stroke death and stroke hospitalization in monozygotic compared with dizygotic co-twins suggests that genetic factors increase the risk of stroke and that the size of this effect is moderate.

Adult↗