Abstract T P388: Statin Use is Linked to Lower Risk of Recurrent Vascular Events among Ischemic Stroke Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

Background: The efficacy of statin therapy in the prevention of recurrent stroke and major adverse cardiovascularevents (MACE) was clearly established by the SPARCL trial; but SPARCL excluded patients whose index stroke was due to a presumed cardioembolic mechanism. As such, it remains unclear whether statins are beneficial in cardioembolic stroke patients, particularly those with atrial fibrillation (AF). Objective: To evaluate the relationship between statin use and future vascular risk reduction among recent ischemic stroke patients with AF Methods: We analyzed the Taiwan National Health Insurance registry which comprises beneficiaries aged ≥ 18 years. Code ICD-9 was used to identify a primary hospitalization diagnosis of ischemic stroke and AF among subjects encountered between 2003 and 2009. Follow-up was from time of the index stroke to admission for recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction; withdrawal from the registry; and last medical claim before 1/1/2011. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on whether statin was prescribed (at least 30 days vs. never used) during the follow-up period. Patients were excluded if they did not take any antithrombotic agent within 30 days before an endpoint. Primary endpoint was MACE (composite of stroke and myocardial infarction) and a key secondary endpoint was any recurrent stroke. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI for the development of events were estimated using Cox models. Model was adjusted for baseline age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, prior stroke, prior myocardial infarction, hyperlipidemia, hospital level, and antithrombotic agent during follow-up. Results: Among 4455 eligible patients, mean age was 71 years and mean follow-up duration was 2.8 years.Compared to non-statin use, statin use was associated with a significantly lower occurrence of MACE (adjusted HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.99, P=0.04) and recurrent stroke (adjusted HR 0.82, 0.69 to 0.97, P=0.02). Statin use was also linked to lower ischemic stroke risk, but had neutral effects on intracranial hemorrhage and myocardial infarction. Conclusion: Among patients with an index ischemic stroke and AF, statin use is associated with a lower risk of recurrent vascular events including stroke.

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Abstract T MP107: Ischemic Strokes While on Aspirin: Initiation of Clopidogrel Is Better than Re-initiation of Aspirin for Prevention of Future Vascular Events

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.45.suppl_1.tmp107 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Meng Lee ◽

Yi-Ling Wu ◽

Jeffrey L Saver ◽

Hsuei-Chen Lee ◽

Jiann-Der Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Treatment Failure ◽

Risk Reduction ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Vascular Risk ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Vascular Events ◽

Index Stroke

Background: It is currently unclear about what to do for the patient who has a breakthrough ischemic stroke while receiving aspirin, the so-called ‘aspirin treatment failure’. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of clopidogrel vs. aspirin for vascular risk reduction among ischemic stroke patients who were on aspirin treatment at the time of the index stroke. Methods: We analyzed the Taiwan National Health Insurance registry which comprises beneficiaries aged ≥ 18 years. Code ICD-9 was used to identify a primary hospitalization diagnosis of ischemic stroke among subjects encountered between 2003 and 2009, and continuously treated with aspirin ≥ 30 days before the index stroke. Follow-up was from time of the index stroke to admission for recurrent stroke or myocardial infarction; withdrawal from the registry; and last medical claim before 1/1/2011. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on whether clopidogrel or aspirin was prescribed during follow-up period. Patients were excluded if their Medication Possession Ratio was < 80% or they not taking clopidogrel or aspirin within 30 days before an endpoint. Primary endpoints were a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE: composite of stroke and myocardial infarction) and a recurrent stroke alone. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI for the development of events were estimated using Cox models. Results: Among 2281 eligible patients, mean age was 72 years, 41% were female, and mean follow-up duration was 2.2 years. Compared to aspirin, clopidogrel was associated with a significantly lower occurrence of MACE (adjusted HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.81) and recurrent stroke (adjusted HR 0.67, 0.54 to 0.82). The pattern of benefit for clopidogrel users was consistent across several endpoints (Table). Conclusion: Among ischemic stroke patients with so called ‘aspirin treatment failure’, clopidogrel may a better choice than aspirin for future vascular risk reduction.

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Use of Statins After Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults and Its Association With Long-Term Outcome

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.119.026992 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (12) ◽

pp. 3385-3392 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Myrna Marita Elisabeth van Dongen ◽

Karoliina Aarnio ◽

Nicolas Martinez-Majander ◽

Jani Pirinen ◽

Juha Sinisalo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Propensity Score ◽

Lower Risk ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Vascular Events ◽

Preventive Medication ◽

All Cause Mortality

Background and Purpose— Knowledge of the use of secondary preventive medication in young adults is limited. We studied the use of statins and its association with subsequent vascular events in young adults with ischemic stroke—a patient group with a known low burden of atherosclerosis. Methods— The study population included 935 first-ever 30-day ischemic stroke survivors aged 15 to 49 years from the Helsinki Young Stroke Registry, 1994 to 2007. Follow-up data until 2012 were obtained from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Drug Prescription Register), the Finnish Care Register, and Statistics Finland. The association of the use of statins (defined as at least 2 purchases) with all-cause mortality, recurrent stroke, and other recurrent vascular events was assessed through adjusted Cox regression analyses. We further compared propensity score–matched statin users with nonusers. Results— Of our 935 patients, 46.8% used statins at some point during follow-up. Higher age, dyslipidemia, heavy alcohol use, and hypertension were significantly associated with purchasing statins. Statin users exhibited lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.25–0.58]) and recurrent stroke (hazard ratio, 0.29 [95% CI, 0.19–0.44]) than nonusers, after adjustment for dyslipidemia, stroke subtype, and other confounders. These results remained unchanged after propensity score–matched comparison. Conclusions— Less than half of young ischemic stroke patients used statins; use was affected by age and risk factor profile. Statin use was independently associated with lower risk of all-cause mortality and recurrent stroke.

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Heart Rate Variability and Recurrent Stroke and Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Acute Mild to Moderate Stroke

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.772674 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Regina von Rennenberg ◽

Thomas Krause ◽

Juliane Herm ◽

Simon Hellwig ◽

Jan F. Scheitz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Functional Outcome ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Vascular Events ◽

Index Stroke

Objectives: In patients with acute ischemic stroke, reduced heart rate variability (HRV) may indicate poor outcome. We tested whether HRV in the acute phase of stroke is associated with higher rates of mortality, recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) or functional outcome.Materials and Methods: Patients with acute mild to moderate ischemic stroke without known atrial fibrillation were prospectively enrolled to the investigator-initiated Heart and Brain interfaces in Acute Ischemic Stroke (HEBRAS) study (NCT 02142413). HRV parameters were assessed during the in-hospital stay using a 10-min section of each patient's ECG recording at day- and nighttime, calculating time and frequency domain HRV parameters. Frequency of a combined endpoint of recurrent stroke, MI or death of any cause and the respective individual events were assessed 12 months after the index stroke. Patients' functional outcome was measured by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 12 months.Results: We included 308 patients (37% female, median NIHSS = 2 on admission, median age 69 years). Complete follow-up was achieved in 286/308 (93%) patients. At 12 months, 32 (9.5%), 5 (1.7%) and 13 (3.7%) patients had suffered a recurrent stroke, MI or death, respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, stroke severity and vascular risk factors, there was no significant association between HRV and recurrent stroke, MI, death or the combined endpoint. We did not find a significant impact of HRV on a mRS ≥ 2 12 months after the index stroke.Conclusion: HRV did not predict recurrent vascular events in patients with acute mild to moderate ischemic stroke.

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Abstract MP86: Effects of Immediate Blood Pressure Reduction on Death and Major Disability in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients by History of Hypertension and Use of Antihypertensive Medications

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.131.suppl_1.mp86 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 131 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Tan Xu ◽

Yonghong Zhang ◽

Yingxian Sun ◽

Chung-Shiuan Chen ◽

Jing Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Treatment Group ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Hospital Discharge ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Antihypertensive Medications ◽

History Of

Introduction: The effects of blood pressure (BP) reduction on clinical outcomes among acute stroke patient remain uncertain. Hypothesis: We tested the effects of immediate BP reduction on death and major disability at 14 days or hospital discharge and 3-month follow-up in acute ischemic stroke patients with and without a previous history of hypertension or use of antihypertensive medications. Methods: The China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke (CATIS) randomly assigned patients with ischemic stroke within 48 hours of onset and elevated systolic BP (SBP) to receive antihypertensive treatment (N=2,038) or to discontinue all antihypertensive medications (N=2,033) during hospitalization. Randomization was stratified by participating hospitals and use of antihypertensive medications. Study outcomes were assessed at 14 days or hospital discharge and 3-month post-treatment follow-up. The primary outcome was death and major disability (modified Rankin Scale score≥3), and secondary outcomes included recurrent stroke and vascular events. Results: Mean SBP was reduced 12.7% in the treatment group and 7.2% in the control group within 24 hours after randomization (P<0.001). Mean SBP was 137.3 mmHg in the treatment group and 146.5 in the control group at day 7 after randomization (P<0.001). At 14 days or hospital discharge, the primary and secondary outcomes were not significantly different between the treatment and control groups by subgroups. At the 3-month follow-up, recurrent stroke was significantly reduced in the antihypertensive treatment group among patients with a history of hypertension (odds ratio 0.43, 95% CI 0.24-0.75, P=0.003) and among patients with a history of use of antihypertensive medications (odds ratio 0.41, 95% CI 0.20-0.84, P=0.01). All-cause mortality (odds ratio 2.84, 95% CI 1.11-7.27, P=0.03) was increased among patients without a history of hypertension. Conclusion: Immediate BP reduction lowers recurrent stroke among acute ischemic stroke patients with a previous history of hypertension or use of antihypertensive medications at 3 months. On the other hand, BP reduction increases all-cause mortality among patients without a history of hypertension.

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5130Association between degree of LDL-cholesterol decrease after a myocardial infarction and mortality - a nationwide cohort study

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz746.0044 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

J Schubert ◽

B Lindahl ◽

H Melhus ◽

H Renlund ◽

M Leosdottir ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Lower Risk ◽

Ldl Cholesterol ◽

Lipid Lowering ◽

Lipid Lowering Therapy ◽

Index Event ◽

Risk Of Death ◽

Lowering Therapy ◽

Statin Use

Abstract Background In clinical trials, patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and elevated LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) benefit the most from lipid lowering therapy, and more intensive LDL-C lowering therapy is associated with better prognosis. Purpose To investigate the association between degree of LDL-C lowering and prognosis in MI patients from a large real-world setting. Methods Patients admitted with an MI between 2006 and 2016 and registered in the Swedish MI-registry (SWEDEHEART) were followed until 2018. The difference in LDL-C between the MI hospitalization and a 6–10 week follow-up was measured. In multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusting for clinical risk factors (eg. age, diabetes, prior cardiovascular disease), the association between LDL-C change, mortality and recurrent MI was assessed using restricted cubic splines. Further, the patients were stratified according to quartile decrease in LDL-C from MI hospitalization to the follow-up. Results A total of 44,148 patients (median age: 64) had an LDL-C measured during the MI hospitalization and at follow-up. Of these, 9,905 (22.4%) had ongoing statin treatment prior to admission. The median LDL-C at the MI hospitalization was 2.96 (interquartile range 2.23, 3.74) mmol/L and the median decrease in LDL-C was 1.17 (0.37, 1.86) mmol/L. During a median follow-up of 3.9 years, 3,342 patients died and 3,210 had an MI. Patients with the highest quartile of LDL-C decrease (1.86 mmol/L) from index event to follow-up, had a lower risk of mortality, hazard ratio (HR) 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.44–0.80) compared to those with the lowest quartile of LDL-C decrease (0.37 mmol/L) (figure). For MI, the corresponding HR was 0.83 (95% CI 0.68–1.02). Ongoing statin-use prior to admission did not alter the effect of LDL-C decrease and outcome in the analysis. Conclusions In this large nationwide cohort of MI patients, a gradually lower risk of death was observed in patients with larger decrease in LDL-C from index event to follow-up, regardless of statin use prior to admission. The same trend was observed for recurrent MI, although not reaching statistical significance. This confirms previous findings that efforts should be made to lower LDL-C after MI.

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Novel Predictors of Future Vascular Events in Post-stroke Patients—A Pilot Study

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.666994 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Diana Schrick ◽

Erzsebet Ezer ◽

Margit Tokes-Fuzesi ◽

Laszlo Szapary ◽

Tihamer Molnar

Keyword(s):

Ex Vivo ◽

Platelet Reactivity ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Vascular Events ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Coronary Syndrome ◽

Impedance Aggregometry ◽

Selection Of

Introduction: A modified platelet function test (mPFT) was recently found to be superior compared to impedance aggregometry for selection of post-stroke patients with high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR). We aimed to explore some peripheral blood cell characteristics as predictors of recurrent ischemic episodes. The predictive value of mPFT was also assessed in a cohort followed up to 36 months regarding recurrent ischemic vascular events.Methods: As a novelty, not only whole blood (WB), but after 1-h gravity sedimentation the separated upper (UB) and lower half blood (LB) samples were analyzed including neutrophil antisedimentation rate (NAR) in 52 post-stroke patients taking clopidogrel. Area under the curve (AUC, AUCupper and AUClower, respectively) was separately measured by Multiplate in the WB, UB and LB samples to characterize ex vivo platelet aggregation in the presence of ADP. Next, the occurrence of vascular events (stroke, acute coronary syndrome, ACS) were evaluated during 36-month follow-up.Results: A total of 11 vascular events (stroke n = 5, ACS n = 6) occurred during the follow-up period. The AUCupper was significantly higher in patients with recurrent stroke compared to those with uneventful follow-up (p = 0.03). The AUCupper with a cut-off value ≥70 based on the mPFT, was able to predict all stroke events (p = 0.01), while the total vascular events were independently predicted by NAR with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 88%.Conclusions: A combination of NAR reflecting the inflammatory state and AUCupper indicating HTPR may provide a better prediction of recurrent ischemic events suggesting a better selection of patients at risk, thus providing an individually tailored vascular therapy.

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Long term clinical outcomes of patients with ischemic stroke in primary care – a 9-year retrospective study

BMC Family Practice ◽

10.1186/s12875-021-01513-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jinghao Han ◽

Yue Kwan Choi ◽

Wing Kit Leung ◽

Ming Tung Hui ◽

Maria Kwan Wa Leung

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Primary Care ◽

Risk Factor ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Diastolic Blood Pressure ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

All Cause Mortality

Abstract Background We aim to document the long-term outcomes of ischemic stroke patients and explore the potential risk factors for recurrent cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in primary care. Methods A retrospective cohort study performed at two general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) under Hospital Authority (HA) in Hong Kong (HK). Ischemic stroke patients with at least two consecutive follow-up visits during the recruitment period (1/1–30/6/2010) were included. Patients were followed up regularly till the date of recurrent stroke, cardiovascular event, death or 31/12/2018. The primary outcome was the occurrence of recurrent cerebrovascular event including transient ischemic stroke (TIA), ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. The secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and coronary artery disease (CAD). We fit cox proportional hazard model adjusting death as competing risk factor to estimate the cause-specific hazard ratio (csHR). Results A total of 466 patients (mean age, 71.5 years) were included. During a median follow-up period of 8.7 years, 158 patients (33.9%) died. Eighty patients (17.2%) had recurrent stroke and 57 (12.2%) patients developed CAD. Age was an independent risk factor for recurrent stroke, CAD and death. Statin therapy at baseline had a protective effect for recurrent stroke (csHR = 0.476; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.285–0.796, P = 0.005) after adjusting death as a competing risk factor and all-cause mortality (HR = 0.693, 95% CI 0.486–0.968, P = 0.043). In addition, female sex, antiplatelet and a higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at baseline were also independent predictors for survival. Conclusions Long term prognosis of ischemic stroke patients in primary care is favorable. Use of statin was associated with a significant decrease in stroke recurrence and mortality. Patients who died had a significant lower DBP at baseline, highlighted the need to consider both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in our daily practice.

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Impact of excessive supraventricular ectopic activity detected in the acute phase of stroke or TIA on AF detection and death within 24 months – results of the prospective MonDAFIS study

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehab724.2063 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

K G H Haeusler ◽

M C O Olma ◽

S T Tuetuencue ◽

C F Fiessler ◽

C K Kunze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Myocardial Infarction ◽

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Major Bleeding ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

First Episode ◽

Ecg Monitoring ◽

Ectopic Activity ◽

Stroke Patients

Abstract Background/Introduction Detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) and subsequent initiation of oral anticoagulation remain key goals in the care of stroke patients. The European Society of Cardiology guideline recommend continuous ECG monitoring for at least 72 hours in stroke patients without previously known AF. Excessive supraventricular ectopic activity (ESVEA) has been identified as a marker for patients at risk for AF in the general population. Robust data on the clinical relevance of ESVEA detected in the acute phase of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) are lacking. Purpose To assess the impact of ESVEA (defined as presence of supraventricular beats ≥480/day or at least one atrial run of ≥10 and <30 seconds during continuous ECG monitoring for 72 hours) in patients with acute ischemic stroke/TIA without (previously) known AF on recurrent stroke, all-cause death and detection of a first episode of AF within 24 months. Methods The investigator-initiated, prospective, open, multicenter Systematic Monitoring for Detection of Atrial Fibrillation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke study randomized 3,465 acute stroke patients without known AF 1:1 to usual diagnostic procedures for AF detection or additive Holter-ECG recording for up to seven days in-hospital (NCT02869386). ECG core-lab analysis included the number of atrial ectopic beats per day, the number of atrial runs as well as the duration of the longest atrial run per 24 hours. Patients were followed-up for two years. Secondary study objectives include the comparison of recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, major bleeding and all-cause death in ESVEA patients, patients with newly diagnosed AF vs. non-ESVEA patients with sinus rhythm at baseline. Data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test. Results In 1,714 patients randomized to the intervention group, 1,693 (98.8%) had analyzable ECG recordings of a median duration of 121 hours (IQR 73–166). 1,435 (84.8%) patients had continuous ECG monitoring for the first 72 hours. At this time, ESVEA was detected in 363 (25.3%) of 1,435 patients, while a first episode of AF was detected in 48 (3.3%). At 24 months, AF was newly detected in 57 (15.7%) ESVEA patients vs. 53 (6.2%) non-ESVEA patients (p<0.001) with available follow-up. At 24 months, 68 (24.5%) ESVEA patients vs. 77 (9.0%) non-ESVEA patients were on oral anticoagulation (p<0.001). The composite of recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, major bleeding and death at 24 months did not differ significantly between ESVEA patients vs. non-ESVEA patients (14.3% vs. 11.6%; p=0.389). However, all-cause death was higher in ESVEA patients (6.6% vs. 3.1% in non-ESVEA patients; p=0.01). Conclusions ESVEA detected after acute ischemic stroke/TIA identifies patients at high-risk for AF and may be used to guide prolonged ECG monitoring. The higher risk of death in ESVEA patients vs. non-ESVEA patients within 24 months after stroke/TIA deserves further investigation. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): Bayer Vital GmbH, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Germany.

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Intermediate risk of cardiac events and recurrent stroke after stroke admission in young adults

International Journal of Stroke ◽

10.1177/1747493017733929 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 576-584 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Peter Jin ◽

Ivan Matos Diaz ◽

Laura Stein ◽

Alison Thaler ◽

Stanley Tuhrim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Young Adults ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Cardiovascular Events ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Intermediate Risk ◽

Cardiac Events ◽

Vascular Events ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Index Stroke

Background In older adults with stroke, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular events in the intermediate period, up to one year after stroke. The risk of cardiovascular events in this period in young adults after stroke has not been studied. We hypothesized that in the intermediate risk period, young adults with ischemic stroke have an increased risk of recurrent stroke and a smaller increase of cardiac events. Methods Using the National Readmissions Database during the year 2013, we identified ischemic stroke admissions among those aged 18–45 years using International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to identify index vascular events and risk factors. Primary outcomes were readmission for cardiac events and stroke. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used to estimate risk of primary outcomes. Results We identified 12,392 young adults with index stroke. The readmission rate due to recurrent stroke was higher than for cardiac events (2913.3.1 vs. 1132.4 per 100,000 index hospitalizations at 90 days). There was a higher cumulative risk of both cardiac events and recurrent stroke in the presence of baseline diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion In a large, nationally representative database, the intermediate risk of recurrent stroke after index stroke in young adults was higher than the risk of cardiac events. The presence of vascular risk factors augmented this risk but did not entirely account for it. The aggressive control of hypercholesterolemia and diabetes may play an important role in secondary prevention in young adults with stroke.

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Long Term Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Ischemic Stroke in Primary care – A 9-year Retrospective Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-42359/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jinghao Han ◽

Yue Kwan Choi ◽

Wing Kit Leung ◽

Eric Ming Tung Hui ◽

Maria Kwan Wa Leung

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Primary Care ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Diastolic Blood Pressure ◽

Cardiovascular Events ◽

Recurrent Stroke ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

All Cause Mortality

Abstract Background: We aim to document the long-term outcomes of ischemic stroke patients and explore the potential risk factors for recurrent cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in primary care.Methods: A retrospective cohort study performed at two general out-patient clinics (GOPCs) under Hospital Authority (HA) in Hong Kong (HK). Ischemic stroke patients with at least two consecutive follow-up visits during the recruitment period (1/1-30/6/2010) were enrolled. Patients were followed up regularly till the date of recurrent stroke, cardiovascular event, death or 31/12/2018. Risks of recurrent cardiovascular events and death were estimated by Cox proportional hazards model. The primary outcome was the occurrence of recurrent cerebrovascular event including transient ischemic stroke (TIA), ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke. The secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and coronary heart disease (CHD).Results: A total of 466 patients (mean age, 71.5 years) were enrolled. During a median follow-up period of 8.7 years, 158 patients (33.9%) died. Eighty patients (17.2%) had recurrent stroke and 57 (12.2%) patients developed CHD. Age was an independent risk factor for recurrent stroke, CHD and death. Statin therapy at baseline had a protective effect for recurrent stroke (hazard ratio [HR] =0.454, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.269-0.766, P=0.003) and all-cause mortality (HR= 0.693, 95% CI 0.486-0.968, P=0.043). In addition, female sex, antiplatelet and a higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) at baseline were also independent predictors for survival.Conclusions: Long term prognosis of ischemic stroke patients in primary care is favorable. Use of statin was associated with a significant decrease in stroke recurrence and mortality. Patients who died had a significant lower DBP at baseline, highlighted the need to consider both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in our daily practice.

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