Introduction:
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common subtype of stroke. Hypertension is a major cause of primary spontaneous ICH. However, sex difference in blood pressure (BP) and arterial stiffness among ICH patients is not well characterized.
Methods:
A prospective pilot study to investigate the feasibility of measuring arterial stiffness in acute primary ICH patients was approved by the institutional research board at Wake Forest Baptist Health. Eligible subjects with primary ICH were enrolled in the study within 7 days of onset. Non-invasive measurements of brachial BP, aortic BP, augmentation index at heart rate of 75 beats per minute (AIx75), and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) were measured at the patient’s bedside, using the SphygmoCor XCEL System v1 (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd., Sydney, Australia).
Results:
A total of 20 patients have been enrolled in the study over 5 months. Over half the patients enrolled were female (55%, n = 11), including 82% (n = 9) White, 9% (n = 1) Asian and 9% (n = 1) Hispanic. There was increased diversity in the male patients (45%, n = 9) including 44% (n = 4) Black, 22% (n = 2) White, 22% (n = 2) Hispanic, and 11% (n = 1) Asian. Men were significantly younger than women (57 ± 5 years vs 74 ± 3 years, respectively, P = 0.009). There were no significant differences in BMI or ICH score. At the time of measurement, there were no significant sex differences in brachial or aortic blood pressures (systolic and diastolic), however, females had significantly higher AIx75 (35 ± 4 vs 20 ± 6, P = 0.036) and aortic PP (53 ± 2 mm Hg vs 42 ± 4 mm Hg, P = 0.020) than males. Sex difference in cf-PWV was not statistically significant (p = 0.054).
Conclusion:
In the current feasibility pilot study, preliminary data show that females had higher arterial stiffness measured as AIx75 and aortic PP than males in the acute setting of ICH. Further study will be required to ascertain whether this is related to higher age at presentation in females. Whether sex differences in arterial stiffness predict differences in the outcome among ICH patients is not well characterized; thus, assessment of 30-day functional and neurological outcomes will be performed with NIHSS and modified Rankin Scores.
Mechanically ventilated premature babies have sex differences in specific elastance: A pilot study
