Stroke is approximately twice as common in UK Africans and African-Caribbeans compared with Caucasians. We have been funded by two Stroke Association programme grants to examine why this is the case. In the South London Ethnicity and Stroke Study (SLESS) we are identifying consecutive patients presenting to three hospitals in South London (St Georges, Guys and St Thomas', and Kings) with stroke. We are comparing these with a similarly recruited group of Caucasian patients with stroke. We aim to collect 1,000 African and African-Caribbean patients and match controls. Using this resource we will:
1. Identify which particular types of stroke are increased in African and African-Caribbean patients. Our early data suggests that it is primarily lacunar stroke (small vessel disease) which has increased.
2. Determine which risk factors account for these differences.
3. Apply molecular genetic approaches to identify whether genetic predisposition is important in these ethnic differences.
In July 2005 we have recruited 600 patients and completed the first five-year phase. Results will be published shortly.
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