ABSTRACT
AIMS: To determine the vascular age of patients suffering from stroke and their cardiovascular risk at 10 years and to compare their vascular age to their real age. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was about a descriptive and retrospective study carried up from 1st January 2012 to 31st December 2013 at the neurologic clinic of the University teaching hospital Sylvanus Olympio of Lome from patients' files with a confirmed diagnostic of stroke according to the clinical examination and the scanner data. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-four patients were related to our study. They were shared-out into 101 men and 93 women equal to a sex-ratio (man/woman) of 1.08. The average real age was of 57.6 ± 13.7 years. High blood pressure was the main risk factor with a prevailing rate of 86.6%, followed by the total hypercholesterolemia (54.3%), the hypocholesterolemia HDL (22.7%), diabetes (10.8%) and nicotinism addiction (4.1%). The average vascular age for all patients was of 68.23 years. The average difference between the real age and the vascular age was of 10 years. The average cardiovascular risk at 10 years in our study was of 13.2%. CONCLUSION: The vascular age of patients suffering from stroke at the University teaching hospital Sylvanus Olympio of Lome is 10 years higher than their real age. This condition considerably increases their risk of cardiovascular diseases. The screening and the early care about vascular risk factors appear therefore of utmost importance.