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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Int J Stroke. 2010 Apr;5(2):117–125. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2010.00420.x

Table 2.

Hypotheses of the Levels of Inflammatory Markers In Treatment of Stroke (LIMITS) Study

The LIMITS study, a multi-center prospective cohort study among survivors of small vessel stroke within the context of the SPS3 randomized trial, is proposed to test the following:
Hypotheses:

  1. Elevated levels of serum inflammatory markers measured after a first small subcortical stroke increase the risk of (a) recurrent ischemic stroke (IS) and (b) recurrent IS, myocardial infarction (MI), or death.

  2. Dual antiplatelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin is more effective than aspirin alone in reducing the risk of (a) recurrent IS and (b) recurrent IS, MI and death among those with elevated levels of hsCRP and other inflammatory markers.

  3. Elevated levels of serum inflammatory markers measured after a first small subcortical stroke increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

  4. Clopidogrel therapy plus aspirin reduces levels of hsCRP and other inflammatory markers more than aspirin therapy alone in patients with a recent history of small subcortical infarcts.

  5. Aggressive lowering of blood pressure will reduce hsCRP and other inflammatory markers, as compared to reference normal hypertension regimen.