Table 2.
Trigger factors for patients with PFO and stroke.
| PFO-associated stroke (n = 124) | Exposed * Year (hazard period) | Bystander PFO (n = 48) | Exposed * Year (hazard period) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger factor | RR (95% CI) | N (n) | RR (95% CI) | N (n) |
| Alcohol consumption | 0.86 (0.22–3.44) | 56 (2) | - | 13 (0) |
| Cigarette smoking | 0.74 (0.33–1.68) | 26 (14) | 0.72 (0.33–1.57) | 21 (13) |
| Coffee consumption | 0.92 (0.48–1.77) | 89 (13) | 0.92 (0.35–2.44) | 29 (6) |
| Cola consumption | 2.08 (0.86–5.02) | 41 (5) | 1.23 (0.12–12.75) | 12 (1) |
| Heavy exercise | 3.4 (2.16–5.36) α | 99 (21) | 2.84 (1.05–7.68) α | 27 (4) |
| Severe exercise | 5.03 (2.59–9.79) α | 77 (10) | 1.72 (0.26–11.53) | 18 (1) |
| Extreme exercise | 6.38 (2.82–14.43) α | 39 (7) | - | 10 (0) |
| Combined vigorous exercise | 3.31 (2.16–5.08) α | 105 (27) | 1.76 (0.67–4.60) | 28 (4) |
| Sexual activity | 2.0 (0.64–6.20) | 87(3) | 2.7 (0.37–19.94) | 30 (1) |
| Illicit drug use | - | 8 (0) | 3.9 (0.28–54.74) | 4 (1) |
| Fever | 25.98 (7.96–84.78) α | 30 (3) | - | 12 (0) |
| Flu-like disease | 24.2 (8.53–68.70) α | 47 (4) | 22.75 (3.02–171.33) α | 14 (1) |
PFO: Patent foramen ovale; RR: relative risk, CI: confidence interval.
α
RR and 95% CI turned out to be significant.
*
The number of patients exposed to the trigger factor during the previous year (the number of patients exposed within the hazard period).