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The majority of strokes are due to thrombotic occlusion of cerebral vessels. The high molecular weight multimers of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) are secreted at sites of vascular injury and contribute to thrombus formation, but inactivation by the protease, ADAMTS13, limits their prothrombotic activity.
To determine whether reduced levels of ADAMTS13 activity are associated with ischemic strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), investigators conducted a prospective evaluation of 5941 persons aged ≥55 without a history of these diseases.
During a median follow-up of 10.7 years, 306 study participants had ischemic strokes and 315 had TIAs. The risk for stroke was increased in those with the lowest versus highest quartile levels of ADAM…