Cerebrovascular Diseases最新文献

Introduction: Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) frequently complicates stroke and is associated with significant mortality. Clinicians often use physiological variables within the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) when diagnosing and prescribing antibiotics for SAP, but little is known of its association with mortality. We investigated the relationship of the NEWS 2 score and its components (respiratory rate, heart rate, temperature, oxygen requirement, oxygen saturation, and alertness level) prior to antibiotic initiation, with time-to-mortality in SAP.

Methods: We included patients with SAP (n = 389) from a single hyperacute stroke unit. Diagnosis of SAP was made if pneumonia occurred within 7 days of hospital admission. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to assess NEWS 2 parameters influencing survival at pre-defined time periods (1 year and 5 years). The association of these parameters on time-to-mortality were analysed using multivariable Cox-regression models to account for a set of pre-specified potential confounders.

Results: The median age was 80 years (71-87 years) and median NIHSS was 7 (IQR 4-17). Mortality within 1 year was 52.4% and 65.8% within 5 years. In the multivariable analyses, time-to-mortality was independently associated with respiratory rate (heart rate [HR] 1.04, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.01-1.08, p = 0.009) and total NEWS 2 score (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.06-1.21, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: In patients with SAP, higher respiratory rate and total NEWS 2 score prior to antibiotic initiation were independently associated with time-to-mortality. Further studies are warranted to identify potential opportunities for intervention and ultimately guide treatment to improve outcomes in SAP patients.

Background: South Asia and Southeast Asia account for more than 40% of the global stroke burden, with differences in stroke risk factors, mortality, and outcomes compared to high-income countries. Sociocultural norms compound the preexisting biological risk differences, resulting in a disproportionate burden of stroke in women in this region. This review summarizes the sex and gender differences across the stroke care continuum in South Asia and Southeast Asia over the past 20 years.

Summary: Despite a higher incidence of stroke in men than women in South and Southeast Asia, women have greater stroke severity and poorer outcomes after stroke. Higher levels of premorbid disability and poor physical health at baseline may be contributory. There is a high prevalence of vascular risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiac sources of embolism, as well as metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance, among the women in this region. Smoking is uncommon among women; however, other forms of smokeless tobacco, such as tobacco leaf and betel nut chewing, are more prevalent, especially in the rural areas in these countries. Women are more likely to have delayed presentations to the hospital due to untimely recognition of stroke symptoms; however, with regards to door-to-needle times or intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) rates, we found equivocal data. Wide gaps exist in stroke awareness and healthcare-seeking behaviors, with women more commonly opting for public hospitals and low-cost wards, more likely to discontinue treatment, and less likely to adhere to poststroke rehabilitation.

Key findings: This review exposes the gender lacunae in stroke service provision across South Asia and Southeast Asia while acknowledging the many knowledge gaps in our understanding. Although the biological risk differences are non-modifiable, educational, policy, and economic measures to mitigate sociocultural barriers are much needed in the region. Sound epidemiological data are needed from more countries to better understand these differences and bridge this gap. It is imperative to advocate and implement policies and programs for stroke care viable for women, cognizant of the gender and cost bias, as well as the interplay of social and cultural structures specific to the regions.

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the outcomes and safety in patients aged ≥75 years and those aged <75 years who underwent stent-assisted endovascular treatment for unruptured cerebral aneurysms, specifically focusing on perioperative antiplatelet therapy (APT).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study comprised patients who underwent stent-assisted coiling (SAC) or flow diverter stent (FDS) placement for unruptured cerebral aneurysms. The primary outcome was defined as the composite outcomes of perioperative thromboembolic events, bleeding events, or death.

Results: Among 632 patients, 533 (84.3%) were aged <75 years and 99 (15.6%) were aged ≥75 years. No significant differences were observed in the dual APT duration. The primary outcome occurred in 14.3% of patients aged <75 years and in 14.1% of those aged ≥75 years, with no significant difference (p = 1.0). The composites of the primary outcome, including thromboembolic events, bleeding events, and death differed insignificantly. Similar findings were observed when the primary outcomes for SAC (12.7% vs. 11.5%, p = 0.95) and FDS (17.5% vs. 18.4%, p = 1.0) were analyzed. The 30-day, 1-year, and 2-year cumulative event-free survival rates for the primary outcome were 89.5, 87.2%, and 85.2%, respectively, in patients aged <75 years, and 90.9%, 88.7%, and 87.0%, respectively, in those aged ≥75 years. These trends were similar (log-rank test, p = 0.92).

Conclusion: No significant differences were observed in the rates of the primary outcomes between patients aged <75 years and those aged ≥75 years. Therefore, refraining from stent-assisted treatment for unruptured aneurysms based solely on age might be inappropriate.

Introduction: The relationship between uric acid (UA) levels and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVD) is controversial. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to explore the causal effects of UA levels on CCVD.

Methods: Genetic variants strongly associated with UA levels were selected as instrumental variables from the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) dataset. The GWAS data, sourced from the Global Urate Genetics Consortium (GUGC), comprised a sample size of 110,347 individuals. The selected CCVD outcomes included stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), as well as atrial fibrillation and flutter. The primary analytical approach employed the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, supplemented by MR-Egger and weighted median as complementary methods. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test heterogeneity and pleiotropy.

Results: The MR analysis results indicated a causal association between UA levels and stroke (OR: 1.002; 95% CI: 1.000-1.003; p = 0.036), CAD (OR: 1.118; 95% CI: 1.044-1.197; p = 0.001), as well as atrial fibrillation and flutter (OR: 1.141; 95% CI: 1.037- 1.256; p = 0.007). The results of MR-Egger and weighted median methods confirmed the direction of the IVW results, enhancing the robustness of the findings. No significant anomalies were detected in the sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion: The MR study suggests that UA levels exert causal effects on stroke, CAD, as well as atrial fibrillation and flutter.

Introduction: While increased baseline blood pressure (BP) is a prevalent comorbidity in the acute phase of ischemic stroke, the association between baseline BP and the state of hemispheric perfusion in patients with acute small subcortical infarcts (SSIs) has not been studied in detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between baseline BP and hemispheric cerebral blood flow (CBF) in acute SSIs.

Methods: This retrospective study included 101 patients with acute SSIs. Baseline hemispheric CBF was assessed through co-registration of baseline CT perfusion imaging and follow-up diffusion-weighted imaging. The association between baseline BP, CBF, and different cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) biomarkers was assessed.

Results: Baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were negatively associated with contralateral hemispheric CBF after multivariate-adjusted linear analysis (SBP: β = -0.001, 95% CI: -0.002 to 0.000, p = 0.030; DBP: β = -0.002, 95% CI: -0.003∼0.001, p = 0.006). Among other CSVD biomarkers, the presence of any cerebral microbleeds showed a significant association with lower CBF in the contralateral hemisphere of the infarct lesion (r = -0.270, p = 0.035).

Conclusion: In patients with acute SSIs, increased baseline BP was associated with reduced CBF in the contralateral hemisphere of the infarct lesion, which probably could be interpreted by the exacerbation of the CSVD burden, suggesting a potential mechanistic link between BP autoregulation dysfunction and the aggravation of neurovascular impairment in SSIs.

Introduction: To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have examined the relationship between childhood developmental milestones and risk of adulthood cerebrovascular disease (CeVD). We studied whether the risk of adult CeVD is associated with delayed attainment of motor and language milestones.

Methods: Within the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, a total of 11,688 persons were followed from birth to either death, moving abroad or 54 years of age. CeVD diagnoses, i.e., ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes and transient ischemic attacks, were extracted from national registers with diagnostic coding based on recommendations of the World Health Organization. Cox proportional hazard models stratified by sex were used to estimate associations of motor development and language milestones between ages 0 and 4 years and adult CeVD women-to-men relative hazard ratios (RHRs) were estimated for each developmental milestone. Analyses were adjusted for family socioeconomic status and birth weight for gestational age.

Results: Altogether 498 (4.3%) CeVDs were recorded during follow-up. Among both sexes, later turning from back to tummy was associated with ischemic CeVD in adulthood with an adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of 1.25 and 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.46 for men and an aHR: 1.20 (CI: 1.02-1.42) for women per 1 month delay in achievement. Delayed overall motor development, modeled by motor milestone principal component score, was related to increased risk of ischemic CeVD (aHR: 1.50; CI: 1.03-2.19) among men. Later achievement of making sounds was associated with any CeVD (aHR: 2.74; CI: 1.39-5.40) and especially ischemic CeVD (aHR: 3.41; CI: 1.65-7.06) among men with women-to-men RHR's of 0.17 (95% CI: 0.04-0.81) for any CeVD and RHR 0.18 (95% CI: 0.04-0.89) for ischemic stroke indicating risk to be lower in women compared to men.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that later achievement of childhood milestones could be a predictor for development of CeVD risk. The results point toward a common neurodevelopmental background and could in part explain lifetime CeVD risk accumulation.

Introduction: Prognostication in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is vital for effective clinical decision-making but can be challenging. Frailty - the loss of physiological reserve to withstand stressor events - is a risk factor for poor outcomes after ischemic stroke, yet its role in ICH remains poorly understood. This study investigates whether frailty is independently associated with 28-day mortality following ICH.

Methods: A validated pre-stroke frailty index (FI) was measured for individuals presenting with ICH, yielding a FI of 0-1. The relationship between 28-day mortality and FI was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, neurosurgical intervention, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), and ICH volume.

Results: Forty (34.5%) of 116 individuals with ICH died within 28 days. Frailty was independently associated with 28-day mortality, with each 0.1 increase in FI independently associated with an adjusted odds ratio of death of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01-1.18). ICH volume was also independently associated with mortality (aOR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.06 per 10 mL increase). In contrast, age and neurosurgical intervention were not independently associated with mortality in our cohort.

Conclusion: Higher pre-stroke frailty is independently associated with early mortality following spontaneous ICH, indicating the potential of frailty evaluation to inform prognostication and clinical decision-making.

Introduction: Cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) is a common cause of cognitive decline and stroke. Several studies have shown that smoking is a risk factor for CSVD progression. However, the extent to which smoking exacerbates CSVD lesions remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to clarify the association between total smoking exposure and the severity of CSVD in healthy participants.

Methods: We analyzed the data of participants aged ≥50 years who underwent brain screening. The participants' age, sex, body mass index, alcohol consumption history, and medical history (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia) were investigated. Smoking status was assessed in pack-years, and smokers were classified as current or past smokers. CSVD findings on magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate the severity of periventricular hyperintensity (PVH), deep subcortical white matter hyperintensity (DSWMH), and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVSs). The EPVSs were measured in the basal ganglia and centrum semiovale regions. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of smoking, adjusted for the participants' baseline characteristics.

Results: A total of 2,137 participants were included in this study. The mean age of the participants was 58.7 years. The mean pack-years were 20.5 for past smokers and 26.8 for current smokers. Among current smokers, increased pack-years were significantly associated with a high EPVS burden in the basal ganglia (odds ratio: 1.14, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.28), whereas no such significant association was found for past smokers. No statistically significant association was found between pack-years and the risks of PVH, DSWMH, or EPVS in the centrum semiovale.

Conclusion: Current smoking was associated with a dose-dependent risk of EPVS in the basal ganglia in healthy participants.

Introduction: Sarcopenia, an age-related syndrome defined by low muscularity, loss of muscle strength, and performance, is increasingly recognized as a potential contributor to disability following acute stroke. It is challenging to assess functionally in the acute post-stroke setting. Radiological assessment of skeletal musculature using standard of care CT neck imaging has recently been described. We sought to determine its feasibility and explore associations between CT-defined sarcopenia, validated frailty and functional indices and outcome at 18 months.

Methods: Imaging and clinical data from a prospective cohort study were used. Frailty and functional indices were collected, including the NIH Stroke Scale, Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, Fried frailty phenotype, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale, the Frail Non-Disabled (FiND) Questionnaire and pre-stroke modified Rankin Scale. Single transverse slices of neck CT angiograms obtained at the time of acute stroke diagnosis were assessed for skeletal muscle area using ImageJ software; a skeletal muscle index (SMI) was calculated. The relationship between sarcopenia, frailty and functional indices and death or disability at 18 months was assessed using binary logistic regression.

Results: Of 86 potentially eligible patients, 73 were included. It was possible to perform skeletal muscle analysis on the CT scans of all included patients. SMI and functional or frailty indices were not closely correlated. SMI alone was independently related to death or disability at 18 months. The addition of SMI to the abbreviated FiND score appeared to strengthen its associations and prognostic value.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates initial feasibility of CT-based skeletal muscle assessment in patients with acute stroke. The relationships with functional and frailty measures as well as short term outcomes including the ability to execute activities of daily living are required to be explored and validated in a larger, external cohort.

Introduction: Cognitive frailty and the related concepts of cognitive reserve and imaging-based brain frailty are of increasing interest in older adult care. However, there is uncertainty regarding their importance within a stroke population. We aimed to establish the prevalence of cognitive frailty and reserve in stroke and determine impact on outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review across multidisciplinary electronic databases using validated search syntax. The protocol for this review has been published (PROSPERO, CRD42023433385). We identified studies on cognitive frailty and cognitive reserve, including studies that used related concepts. We extracted data to inform estimates of prevalence and associations with outcomes of physical function, cognition and quality of life, performing meta-analyses where possible. Risk of bias was assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa tools appropriate to study design.

Results: Our search returned 12,095 studies, from which 14 papers met our criteria. No studies described cognitive frailty, and rather studies described cognitive reserve and brain frailty. Cognitive reserve was assessed using proxy measures of education, employment, and leisure time. Four studies used the Cognitive Reserve Index Questionnaire (CRIq) with pooled estimate score of 103.25, 95% CI: 96.87-109.65 (indicating moderate cognitive reserve). Cognitive reserve had varying associations with post-stroke outcomes, three studies (n = 7,759 participants) reporting significant negative association with cognitive measures. Brain frailty was assessed using imaging markers. Across four studies (n = 3,086 participants), pooled prevalence of brain frailty was 73.8%, 95% CI: 72.2-75.3. Higher brain frailty was associated with poorer post-stroke outcomes for majority of studies assessed. Seven studies (50%) were scored as low risk of bias.

Conclusion: Attempts to synthesise these data were complicated by inconsistency in terminology and heterogeneity in methods. However, our findings suggest that brain frailty is common in stroke and associated with poorer outcomes. The epidemiology of cognitive frailty and reserve is less well described. All these measures may be useful for prognostication in stroke, but there are multiple areas where more research is needed.