Table 3.
Sensitivity analysis.
| PFO-associated stroke (n = 124) | Excluded patients who filled in questionnaires > 4 weeks after index event (n = 74) | |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger factor | RR (95% CI) | RR (95% CI) |
| Alcohol | 0.86 (0.22–3.44) | 0.68 (0.10–4.84) |
| Cigarette smoking | 0.74 (0.33–1.68) | 0.54 (0.21–1.42) |
| Coffee | 0.92 (0.48–1.77) | 1.15 (0.53–2.48) |
| Cola | 2.08 (0.86–5.02) | 2.09 (0.80–5.47) |
| Heavy exercise | 3.4 (2.16–5.36) α | 3.14 (1.75–5.64) α |
| Severe exercise | 5.03 (2.59–9.79) α | 6.29 (2.35–16.81) α |
| Extreme exercise | 6.38 (2.82–14.43) α | 9.92 (3.47–28.34) α |
| Sexual activity | 2 (0.64–6.20) | 3.52 (1.12–11.08) α |
| Illicit drug use | - | - |
| Fever | 25.98 (7.96–84.78) α | 41.96 (12.47–141.20) α |
| Flu-like disease | 24.2 (8.53–68.70) α | 44 (14.75–131.24) α |
PFO: Patent foramen ovale; RR: relative risk, CI: confidence interval.
α
RR and 95% CI turned out to be significant.