BACKGROUND: Previous cross-sectional surveys in different European countries within the EUROASPIRE programme demonstrated a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors, unhealthy lifestyles and inadequate drug treatment in coronary heart disease patients. Comparable data for ischaemic stroke patients is lacking. METHODS: A stroke-specific study module was added to the EUROASPIRE III core survey. This cross-sectional multicentre survey included consecutive patients with first-ever ischaemic stroke from four European countries. Data were obtained from medical records, patient interviews and patient examinations within 6-36 months after the stroke event. Control of modifiable risk factors after stroke was evaluated against contemporary European guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 881 patients was recruited. Median age was 66 years, 37.5% were female; average time from the stroke event to interview was 550 days. At the time of the interview, 17.6% of stroke patients smoked cigarettes, 35.5% had a body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2), 62.4% showed elevated blood pressure and 75.7% exhibited elevated LDL cholesterol levels. Antiplatelet drugs or oral anticoagulants were used by 87.2%, antihypertensive medication by 84.4% and statins by 56.8% of stroke patients. Among patients using antihypertensive drugs and lipid-lowering medication at the time of the interview, 34.3% and 34.4%, respectively, achieved target blood pressure and total cholesterol values according to current European guidelines. CONCLUSION: The EUROASPIRE III stroke-specific module shows that secondary prevention and risk factor control in patients after ischaemic stroke need to be improved in four European centres at the time of the study since about half of patients are not achieving risk factor targets defined in European guidelines.

Department of Internal Medicine University Hospital Centre Zagreb School of Medicine University of Zagreb Croatia

Department of Medicine 2 University Hospital Pilsen Czech Republic

Department of Neurology University Hospital Center Zagreb School of Medicine University of Zagreb Croatia

Department of Neurology University of Krakow Poland

Department of Neurology University of Münster Germany

Department of Neurology Vivantes Klinikum Neukölln Germany

Department of Preventive Cardiology Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine Prague Czech Republic Center for Cardiovascular Prevention Charles University Medical School 1 and Thomayer Hospital Prague Czech Republic

Epidemiological Cancer Registry North Rhine Westphalia Münster Germany Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine University of Münster Germany

INSERM U970 Paris Cardiovascular Research Centre University Paris Descartes Paris France

Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry and Comprehensive Heart Failure Center University of Würzburg Germany

Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry and Comprehensive Heart Failure Center University of Würzburg Germany Clinical Trial Center Würzburg University Hospital Würzburg Germany

Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine University of Münster Germany

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