1976 Stroke July 2015 Methods The details and methods of the Stroke in Fabry Patients ( SIFAP

A family history of stroke (FHS) predicts a higher incidence of subsequent stroke in family members. FHS may vary by stroke pathogenic subtype. Women more likely report a maternal history of stroke. We set out to study FHS in a large cohort of young patients with stroke enrolled in a prospective, multicenter European screening program for Fabry disease. We tested whether FHS was more frequent in patients with different pathogenic subtypes and with the presence of a patent foramen ovale, cervical artery dissection, or white matter disease. We also tested whether stroke in parental lineages (SIP) was associated with a higher probability of stroke in siblings or children. Background and Purpose—Family history of stroke is an established risk factor for stroke. We evaluated whether family history of stroke predisposed to certain stroke subtypes and whether it differed by sex in young patients with stroke. Methods—We used data from the Stroke in Fabry Patients study, a large prospective, hospital-based, screening study for Fabry disease in young patients (aged <55 years) with stroke in whom cardiovascular risk factors and family history of stroke were obtained and detailed stroke subtyping was performed. Results—A family history of stroke was present in 1578 of 4232 transient ischemic attack and ischemic stroke patients (37.3%). Female patients more often had a history of stroke in the maternal lineage (P=0.027) than in the paternal lineage. There was no association with stroke subtype according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment nor with the presence of white matter disease on brain imaging. Patients with dissection less frequently reported a family history of stroke (30.4% versus 36.3%; P=0.018). Patients with a parental history of stroke more commonly had siblings with stroke (3.6% versus 2.6%; P=0.047). Conclusions—Although present in about a third of patients, a family history of stroke is not specifically related to stroke pathogenic subtypes in patients with young stroke. Young women with stroke more often report stroke in the maternal lineage. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00414583. (Stroke. 2015;46:1975-1978. DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.009341.)