The ICAM-1 E469K gene polymorphism is a risk factor for spontaneous cervical artery dissection

The mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of spontaneous cervical arterial dissection (sCAD) are unclear, but recent infection may be a triggering factor in sCAD. (1,2) Increased plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in the postacute phase after arterial dissection further suggests an involvement of inflammatory mechanisms. (3) In a recent study in young stroke patients regarding polymorphisms of potentially risk-bearing genes, we focused on the E469K polymorphism of the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1 or CD54) previously described by Pola et al. (4) as a risk factor for stroke in an elderly Italian population affected by cerebral ischemia. Because we found a significant association between the E469K polymorphism and the subgroup of stroke patients with sCAD ( unpublished data), we then analyzed the ICAM-1 E469K polymorphism in a second and larger series of sCAD patients in order to confirm this finding.