International Journal of Stroke最新文献

Background: Covert brain infarction (CBI) is common and poses a potential and non-negligible burden of disease worldwide. The prevalence and risk factors for CBI have been reported inconsistently in previous studies.

Aims: This study aims to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors of CBI and its imaging phenotypes in community-dwelling adults.

Methods: The study population was derived from the baseline survey of a population-based cohort from the Polyvascular Evaluation for Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Events study, involving adults aged 50-75 years from Lishui City, Southeast China. The 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed to access CBI and detect intracranial and extracranial vascular lesions. The prevalence rates of CBI and three imaging phenotypes were stratified separately by age, sex, atherosclerotic burden, and artery stenosis. The intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic burden was graded by summing atherosclerosis scores. Multivariable logistic regression with a stepwise selection method was used to identify independent CBI risk factors.

Results: A total of 2947 participants (mean age of 61.1 ± 6.6 years, 53.8% women) were included. CBI prevalence among study subjects was 9.6%, and the most common subtype was other chronic infarction (5.6%), followed by cavitatory lesions (4.6%) and acute cerebral infarction (0.5%). In multivariable analysis, older age (odds ratio (OR): 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.40-1.83), hypertension (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.08-1.94), higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.04-1.32), homocysteine (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.01-1.23) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.41), intracranial artery plaque (OR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.16-2.10), and severe extracranial atherosclerotic burden (OR: 6.57, 95% CI: 1.67-25.79) were associated with a higher CBI odds. There is a linear relationship between age, DBP, LDL-C, and CBI odds, while homocysteine shows a nonlinear relevancy. Age, DBP, homocysteine, and LDL-C elevation increase CBI risk.

Conclusion: CBI prevalence in this Chinese community-based population was not low. Age, hypertension, intracranial artery plaque, extracranial atherosclerotic burden, homocysteine, LDL-C, and DBP were found to be the risk factors of CBI.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of global mortality and disability, with a disproportionately high burden in low- and middle-income countries. Access to intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular treatment (EVT) remains extremely limited.

Aims: We evaluated the spatial distribution and geographic accessibility of stroke centers in India.

Methods: Data on IVT capable (IVT-C) and EVT capable (EVT-C) stroke centers were collected in March 2021 from thrombectomy devices and pharmaceutical industry providers, respectively. Data were collated and geocoded to compare and calculate zonal statistics and state/union territory (UT) summaries using descriptive statistics. Data on population centers were obtained from the Survey of India website. For estimating driving times, we used the Google Distance Matrix API to find the driving distance between each population center and its nearest stroke facility. Subsequently, population coverages were estimated as a proportion of the population having access to stroke centers for each time interval and based on the population projection for the year 2020 and compared across states.

Results: A total of 566 IVT-C stroke centers were spread across 26 states and UTs, of which 361 (63%) were EVT-C. Ten UTs lacked stroke centers. The average stroke centers per million (SCPM) population was 0.41 and 0.26 for IVT-C and EVT-C, respectively. Median distances to the nearest IVT-C and EVT-C centers were 115 km (interquartile range (IQR): 66-175) and 131 km (IQR: 79-198), respectively. Access within 1 h to an IVT-C and an EVT-C center was available to 26.3% and 20.6% of the Indian population, respectively.

Conclusions: Access to stroke care in India is poor, with critical regional disparities as reflected by the low SCPM population, long driving times, and a small population with access within the golden hour. There is an urgent need to establish IVT-C and EVT-C stroke centers in the existing poorly served regions of India to increase access and improve outcomes for stroke patients.

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the association between alcohol consumption and stroke in Nigeria and Ghana.

Methods: The study is a multicentre, case-control study. Cases included consenting adults 18 years of age and older with acute stroke and controls were age-and -gender -matched stroke -free adults. Alcohol consumption was self-reported. The participants were classified into three alcohol-drinking status, which included abstainers, former drinkers, and current drinkers. The current drinkers were further classified into different alcohol drinking levels, including infrequent, light, moderate, heavy, and binge drinkers. Conditional logistic regression was used to determine associations between the drinking status and stroke, and the association between the different levels of current alcohol consumption and stroke. Five models were evaluated. Model 1 was unadjusted. Model 2 was adjusted for demographic characteristics. Model 3 included Model 2, lifestyle and psychosocial characteristics. Model 4 included Model 3 and dietary characteristics. Model 5 included Model 4 and metabolic characteristics.

Results: A total of 7368 participants took part in the study. Half were stroke participants, and half were control participants. On the associations between drinking status and stroke, respectively, former drinkers showed no significant association with stroke. However, a significant association was observed between current drinkers and stroke in Models 1 and 2, with an odds ratio of 1.19 (95% CI: 1.04-1.38; p < 0.05) and 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01-1.36; p < 0.05), respectively. Regarding the various levels of current alcohol drinking and their association with stroke, no significant association was observed between light drinking and stroke in Model 5. In contrast, moderate drinkers, binge drinkers, and heavy drinkers showed a persistent and significant association with stroke respectively.

Conclusion: There is a significant association between stroke and current alcohol consumption, especially among heavy, binge, and moderate drinkers.

Background: Hematoma expansion (HE) occurs in one-fourth to one-third of patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and is associated with worse outcomes. The co-localization of non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) hypodensity and computed tomography angiography (CTA) spot sign, the so-called Black-&-White (B&W) sign, has been shown to have high predictive accuracy for HE in a single-center cohort. In this analysis, we aimed to validate the predictive accuracy of the B&W sign for HE in a multicenter cohort.

Methods: Acute ICH patients from the multicenter, observational PREDICT study (Predicting Hematoma Growth and Outcome in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Using Contrast Bolus CT) were included. Outcomes included HE (⩾6 mL or ⩾33%) and severe HE (⩾12.5 mL or >66%). The association between B&W sign and outcomes was assessed with multivariable regression analyses adjusted for baseline factors.

Results: Three hundred four patients were included, with 106 (34.9%) showing HE. The spot sign was present in 76 (25%) patients, the hypodensity sign in 119 (39.1%), and the B&W sign in 29 (9.5%). In the stratum with positive spot signs, patients with B&W signs experienced more frequent HE (79.3% vs 46.8%, p = 0.008), hematoma absolute growth (19.1 mL (interquartile range (IQR) = 6.4-40) vs 3.2 mL (IQR= 0-23.3), p = 0.018), and hematoma relative growth (92% (IQR = 16-151%) vs 24% (IQR= 0-69%), p = 0.038). There was a strong association between B&W sign and HE (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 7.83 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.93-20.91)) and severe HE (adjusted OR = 5.67 (95% CI = 2.41-13.36)). The B&W sign yielded a positive predictive value of 79.3% (IQR = 61.7-90.1) for HE. Inter-rater agreement was moderate (k = 0.54).

Conclusion: The B&W sign is associated with an increased likelihood of HE and severe HE by approximately eightfold and fivefold, respectively.

Background: In the Oxford Haemodynamic Adaptation to Reduce Pulsatility trial (OxHARP), sildenafil increased cerebrovascular reactivity but did not reduce cerebral pulsatility, a marker of vascular aging. This analysis of OxHARP tested whether these potentially causative mechanisms were independently associated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs).

Aims: The aims were to determine independence of the relationship between severity of WMHs with both cerebral pulsatility and cerebrovascular reactivity in the same population.

Methods: OxHARP was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of phosphodiesterase inhibitors in patients with mild-to-moderate WMH and previous minor cerebrovascular events. It determined effects on cerebrovascular pulsatility and reactivity on transcranial ultrasound and reactivity on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Associations were determined between baseline ultrasound measures, and averaged MRI measures across follow-up, with the severity of WMH on clinical imaging (Fazekas or modified Blennow scores) and WMH volume in the MRI substudy, by ordinal and linear regression.

Results: In 75/75 patients (median 70 years, 78% male), cerebral pulsatility was associated with age (p < 0.001) whereas reactivity on ultrasound was not (p = 0.29). Severity of WMH in all participants was independently associated with decreased cerebrovascular reactivity and increased cerebral pulsatility (pulsatility p = 0.016; reactivity p = 0.03), with a trend to a synergistic interaction (p = 0.075). Reactivity on ultrasound was still associated with WMH after further adjustment for age (p = 0.017), but pulsatility was not (p = 0.31). Volume of WMH in the MRI substudy was also independently associated with both markers on ultrasound (pulsatility p = 0.005; reactivity p = 0.029) and was associated with reduced cerebrovascular reactivity within WMH on MRI (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: WMHs are independently associated with cerebral pulsatility and reactivity, representing complementary potential disease mechanisms and treatment targets.

Trial registration: clinicaltrials.org: https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03855332.

Rationale: Early mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is due to hematoma volume (HV) expansion, and there are no effective treatments available other than reduction in blood pressure. Tranexamic acid (TXA) a hemostatic drug that is widely available and safe can be a cost-effective treatment for ICH, if proven efficacious.

Hypothesis: Administration of TXA in ICH patients when given within 4.5 h of symptom onset will reduce early mortality at 30 days.

Design: Indian Trial of Tranexamic acid in Spontaneous Intracerebral Haemorrhage (INTRINSIC trial) is a multicenter, randomized, open-label, trial enrolling patients aged more than 18 years presenting with non-traumatic ICH within 4.5 h of symptom onset or when last seen well. Study participants received 2 g of TXA administered within 45 min while control group received standard of care. Intensive blood pressure reduction as per INTERACT 2 protocol is followed is done in both groups. Study plans to recruit 3400 patients. Primary outcome is mortality at day 30. Secondary outcomes are radiological reduction in HV at 24 h from baseline, neurological impairment at day 7 or earlier (if discharged), and assessments of dependency and quality of life at day 90.

Summary: If proven to be beneficial, TXA will have a major impact on medical management of ICH.

Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registry India (CTRI/2023/03/050224) and Clinical Trials.gov (NCT05836831).

Background and purpose: Social determinants of health (SDOH), including social networks, impact disability and quality of life post-stroke, yet the direct influence of SDOH on functional change remains undetermined. We aimed to identify which SDOH predict change on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) within 90 days after stroke hospitalization.

Methods: Stroke patients from the Transitions of Care Stroke Disparities Study (TCSDS) were enrolled from 12 hospitals in the Florida Stroke Registry. TCSDS aims to identify disparities in hospital-to-home transitions after stroke. SDOH were collected by trained interviewers at hospital discharge. The mRS was assessed at discharge, 30- and 90-day post-stroke. Multinomial logistic regression models examined contributions of each SDOH to mRS improvement or worsening (compared to no change) from discharge to 30- and 90-day, respectively.

Results: Of 1190 participants, median age was 64 years, 42% were women, 52% were non-Hispanic White, and 91% had an ischemic stroke. Those with a limited social support network had greater odds of functional decline at 30 days (aOR = 1.39, 1.17-1.66), adjusting for age and onset to arrival time and at 90 days (aOR = 1.50, 1.10-2.05) after adjusting for age. Results were consistent after further adjustment for additional SDOH and participant characteristics. Individuals living with a spouse/partner had reduced odds of functional decline at 90 days (aOR = 0.74, 0.57-0.98); however, results were inconsistent with more conservative modeling approaches.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of SDOH, specifically having a greater number of individuals in your social network in functional recovery after stroke.

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), primarily caused by rupture of intracranial aneurysm, has a high incidence rate in women. We aimed to evaluate the association between female hormonal and reproductive factors and SAH.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 226,469 participants from the UK Biobank was followed for a median period of 14.75 years. Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines were used to explore the associations between 13 major factors and SAH, including menarche age, menopausal status, age at menopause, reproductive lifespan, pregnancy history, age at first and last live births, number of live births, adverse fertility outcomes, history of oral contraception or hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) use, and surgical history of hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy.

Results: SAH occurred in 769 of participants during the follow-up period. Both women with a younger age at menarche (< 12 years) and post-menopausal women had a higher SAH risk (hazard ratio (HR), 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.06-1.54) and (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.10-1.99), respectively. A higher risk of SAH was identified in those with an earlier age at menopause (< 40 years: HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.43-3.06; 40-44 years: HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.23-2.29). A shorter reproductive lifespan (< 30 years) was associated with increased SAH risk (HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.28-2.11), while a longer reproductive lifespan (> 42 years) showed a protective effect (HR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.55-0.77). Younger age at first live birth (< 24 years) was associated with SAH (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.13-1.72). Hysterectomy (HR, 2.55; 95% CI, 2.12-3.05) or bilateral oophorectomy (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.14-2.01) also predisposed women to SAH. Age at last live birth, number of live births, pregnancy history, adverse fertility outcomes, and HRT or oral contraceptive use were not associated with SAH.

Conclusions: Female hormonal and reproductive factors are important for evaluating SAH risk in women. In particular, earlier menopause is associated with an increased risk of SAH.

Data access statement: The data utilized in this study were sourced from a third party and are not publicly accessible. The UK Biobank data that support the findings of this research are available from the UK Biobank (www.ukbiobank.ac.uk), subject to review and approval by the UK Biobank.

Background: While direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have established efficacy in reducing the risk of ischemic stroke, they still leave a residual risk of stroke, which may be greater in practice (0.7-2.3%) than in controlled clinical trial settings. This meta-analysis examines four therapeutic approaches following a stroke in patients already on DOACs: continuing with the same DOAC, changing to a different DOAC, increasing the current DOAC dosage, or switching to a vitamin K antagonist (VKA), such as warfarin.

Methods: Systematic review of literature from the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases, was conducted in line with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The analysis focused on six studies with varied patient demographics, examining as outcomes as recurrent ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, other bleeding events, and mortality.

Results: Six studies comprising 12,159 patients were included, all of them were observational. Patients who remained on their initial DOAC regimen had a lower risk of experiencing ischemic strokes (risk ratio (RR) 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.70; p < 0.001; I² = 0%), intracranial hemorrhage (RR 0.37; 95% CI 0.25-0.55; p < 0.001; I² = 0%), and hemorrhagic events (RR 0.44; 95% CI 0.30-0.63; p < 0.001; I² = 6%) compared to those who were switched to warfarin, with an increase in mortality rates (hazard ratio (HR) 1.85; 95% CI 1.06-3.24; p = 0.03; I² = 84%). In contrast, neither changing to a different DOAC nor adjusting the dose proved to be more effective than the original regimen.

Conclusion: Post-stroke adjustments to anticoagulation therapy-whether altering the drug or its dosage-do not yield additional benefits. In addition, the results suggest that warfarin may be less effective than DOACs for preventing stroke recurrence, bleeding complications, and death in this patient population.