Abstract 18308: Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Incident Cerebrovascular Accidents: The FIT (Henry Ford ExercIse Testing) Project

Background: Prior studies have shown that cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong predictor of mortality. However, there is limited data investigating the association between CRF and incident cerebro-vascular accidents (CVA). The aim of this analysis is to determine the relationship between CRF and incident CVA. Methods: We included 67,607 patients (54% males, mean age 54±11 years) free of prior CVA who underwent exercise treadmill stress testing at Henry Ford Health System between 1991 and 2009. Incident CVA was determined using ICD-9 codes from electronic medical records or administrative claims files. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to determine the association between CRF and incident CVA. Results: A total of 7,569 patients (11.1%) had incident CVA over a mean follow-up duration of 6.1 (±3.4) years. Patients with incident CVA were older (61 vs. 54 years, p<0.001) and had higher prevalence cardiovascular risk factors. Peak metabolic equivalents of task (METs) were 9.1 ± 3 and 7.1±2.9...