الفهرس 
Causes of ischemic strokeOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Stroke is the third most common cause of death and the most common cause of adult disability. Apart from sensorimotor disturbances, ischemic lesions commonly induce cognitive impairment The presence of brain infarcts and the severity of white matter lesions and generalized brain atrophy are associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was a prospective, observational study investigating the development of cognitive impairment after stroke, and identification of factors contributing to this disorder. This study included patients with a first-ever cerebral infarct who are older than 40 years (to exclude atypical stroke), have adequate post-stroke fluency in speech, and who have an initial Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) 15 Exclusion criteria are severe aphasia and other neurological or major psychiatric disorders, which could lead to cognitive impairment other than the qualifying event. The present study includes 45 Egyptian patients with ischemic cerebral stroke, Patients were subjected to clinical , radiological examination at onset and 3 months after stroke onset. All patients had at least one brain CT scan. In most patients, CT was performed at admission or within 72 hours. The most frequent C.T. finding seen in our patients was the basal ganglionic infarction followed by the multiple cerebral infarction. The cognitive functions of the patients were assessed by MMSE there were 15 patients (33.4%) with definite cognitive impairment The results of this study demonstrate that the prevalence of cognitive impairment is high in acute stroke patients and for the sake of the patients acute stroke therapy should be complemented by cognitive assessment and therapy. The cognitive status of the patients strongly affects their consent as well as the success of drug therapy, physical rehabilitation and preventive strategies. In our study only orientation showed a significant improvement over a period of 3 months after stroke onset. Cognitive impairment is frequent in patients with acute stroke. Patients with impairment on admission should be followed up, diagnosed with a more extensive workup and eventually treated.