Ethnic characteristics of location for cerebral aneurysms

Abstract

Objective: to establish the characteristics of location for cerebral aneurysms according to ethnicity in the population of Yakutia.Patients and methods. A total of 433 patients with aneurysmal hemorrhagic stroke (AHS) who had been admitted consecutively to the regional vascular center (Yakutsk) were examined. Group 1 included representatives of the indigenous ethnic groups of the Asian race in Yakutia (n=331; 33.8% of men); Group 2 comprised patients of the Caucasian race (n=102; 45.1% of men). The diagnosis was made by digital subtraction cerebral angiography (77.6%) and multislice computed tomography angiography (22.4%).Results. A total of 433 ruptured saccular aneurysms, including the latter in the anterior cerebral and anterior communicating arteries (ACAAcoA) (33.8%), middle cerebral artery (MCA) (38.7%), internal carotid artery (ICA) (21.6%), and vertebrobasilar arteries (5.8%), were diagnosed. In Group 1, the most common location for aneurysms was MCA (41.1 and 39.7% in men and women, respectively); in Group 2, that was ACA-AcoA (52.2%) in men and ICA (42.8%) in women. The ethnic groups showed significant differences in the incidence of MCA aneurysms (40.2 and 26.4% in Groups 1 and 2; respectively (p=0.014)); (odds ratio (OR = 1.866; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.111–3.146). In Group 1, the incidence of MCA aneurysms was higher in women than in those in Group 2 (p=0.012) (OR=2.417; 95% CI, 1.155–5.141).Conclusion. The location for cerebral aneurysms differs according to ethnicity. In Yakutia among AHS patients, the most frequent location for aneurysms is MCA among indigenous Asians, while that is ACA-AcoA in Caucasian men and ICA is in Caucasian women. The incidence of MCA aneurysms is significantly higher in indigenous Asian women than in Caucasian ones.

Keywords

• hemorrhagic stroke
• subarachnoid hemorrhage
• cerebral aneurysm
• location
• ethnicity