2025 Volume 47 Issue 3 Pages 143-150
Background: Prevention of recurrent stroke and management of cardiovascular disease are important issues, but the effectiveness of interventions by cardiologists is unclear. Methods: We assessed the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease using the Suita score in 1757 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke admitted to our hospital. Based on the risk assessment, nurses counseled patients, and patients or their family members were asked whether they wanted to be seen by a cardiologist. Cardiologists provided counseling and lifestyle advice when requested. In this study, we compared lifestyle changes (disease awareness, exercise habits, salt reduction, medication compliance, and smoking cessation) 3 months after ischemic stroke onset and stroke recurrence rate within 1 year after ischemic stroke onset between two groups: one with cardiologist intervention (intervention group) and one without intervention (non-intervention group). Results: Three months after the onset of ischemic stroke, the intervention group showed significantly better than the non-intervention group in all lifestyle variables except smoking cessation, but there was no difference in smoking cessation between the two groups. The recurrence of stroke within 1 year after ischemic stroke was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the non-intervention group. Conclusion: Cardiologist intervention based on the 10-year risk of developing coronary heart disease in patients with acute ischemic stroke could potentially improve lifestyle behavioral changes within 3 months and further reduce recurrent ischemic stroke within 1 year.
