scholarly journals Acute Cerebrovascular Events in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Rothstein ◽  
Olivia Oldridge ◽  
Hannah Schwennesen ◽  
David Do ◽  
Brett L. Cucchiara

Background and Purpose: Initial reports suggest a significant risk of thrombotic events, including stroke, in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there is little systematic data on stroke incidence and mechanisms, particularly in racially diverse populations in the United States. Methods: We performed a retrospective, observational study of stroke incidence and mechanisms in all patients with COVID-19 hospitalized from March 15 to May 3, 2020, at 3 Philadelphia hospitals. Results: We identified 844 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (mean age 59 years, 52% female, 68% Black); 20 (2.4%) had confirmed ischemic stroke; and 8 (0.9%) had intracranial hemorrhage. Of the ischemic stroke patients, mean age was 64 years, with only one patient (5%) under age 50, and 80% were Black. Conventional vascular risk factors were common, with 95% of patients having a history of hypertension and 60% a history of diabetes mellitus. Median time from onset of COVID symptoms to stroke diagnosis was 21 days. Stroke mechanism was cardioembolism in 40%, small vessel disease in 5%, other determined mechanism in 20%, and cryptogenic in 35%. Of the 11 patients with complete vascular imaging, 3 (27%) had large vessel occlusion. Newly positive antiphospholipid antibodies were present in >75% of tested patients. Of the patients with intracranial hemorrhage, 5/8 (63%) were lobar intraparenchymal hemorrhages, and 3/8 (38%) were subarachnoid hemorrhage; 4/8 (50%) were on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Conclusions: We found a low risk of acute cerebrovascular events in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Most patients with ischemic stroke had conventional vascular risk factors, and traditional stroke mechanisms were common.

Author(s):  
Jude H Charles ◽  
Mario P Zamora ◽  
Dileep R Yavagal

Introduction : Multiple factors have been reported to influence the time between onset of symptoms in acute ischemic stroke and hospital presentation. Although education level is one independent factor in presentation, as we previously reported, health literacy has not been fully assessed regarding specific patient knowledge on stroke or its known risk factors. This study aims to determine whether having a history of vascular risk factors such as prior stroke, coronary artery disease (CAD), or atrial fibrillation (AF) influence presentation time and acute ischemic stroke therapy utilization. Methods : This study included 250 acute ischemic stroke patients presenting to a large academic community hospital from February to December 2018. Educational level was defined within four categories: Grade School, High School, College or Higher, and Unknown. Last seen normal, symptom onset, and arrival times were acquired. Vascular risk factors chosen for this study included prior stroke, CAD, and AF. History of vascular risk factors was verified by medical documentation showing prior diagnosis by physician. Initial NIH Stroke Scale score, stroke location, vessel involved, LDL, hemoglobin A1c, gender, and race were also obtained. Patients were categorized based on their level of education, the presence or absence of vascular risk factors, and utilization of tPA or thrombectomy (MT). The primary outcomes were onset‐to‐arrival time (OTA), in minutes, and utilization rates of acute ischemic stroke therapies (either tPA, MT, or both). Subgroup analysis was conducted to associate education level with each vascular risk factor, comparing OTA and acute ischemic stroke therapy utilization rate. Results : As previously reported, educational level was inversely associated with OTA and positively associated with utilization of at least one acute ischemic stroke therapy. Prior stroke, CAD, and AF showed a substantial OTA decrease for all education groups except for College. Prior stroke decreased OTA in Grade School by 24% (764 vs. 579); High School by 30% (222 vs. 154) and College by 20% (52 vs. 41). CAD decreased OTA in Grade School by 65% (734 vs. 253), High School by 14% (209 vs. 180), and College by 3% (50 vs 49). AF decreased OTA in Grade School by 88% (764 vs. 91) and High School by 56% (216 vs. 95), but increased in College by 35% (47 vs. 64). History of prior stroke decreased utilization of both tPA and MT by 14%; CAD increased tPA use by 8% and MT by 5%; while AF increased tPA use by 9% and MT by 12%. Conclusions : Having at least one prior vascular risk factor (prior stroke, CAD, AF), diagnosed by a physician, was associated with lower OTA in Grade School and High School educated patients. A history of prior stroke was associated with lower acute stroke therapy utilization (tpa and MT), while both CAD and AF were associated with increased acute stroke therapy utilization.


Author(s):  
Khurshidakhon Abduboriyevna Rasulova

Objective: To determine risk factors in different pathogenic subtypes of ischemic stroke in Tashkent hospital registry and to compare with the data of other stroke registers.Design: Prospective observational study.Participants: 300 adults aged 18 years or over who suffered first-ever acute ischemic stroke, of them, the data of 100 patients with atherothrombotic, lacunar and cardioembolic strokes were analyzed.Main outcome measures: Mathematically significant differences and not significant differences but interesting from other point of view. Categorical variables are expressed as frequencies and percentages. Differences were regarded as statistically significant when the P value was less than 0.05 (P<0.05).Results: Of 100 patients with acute first-ever ischemic stroke at the median age of 62.63±4.68 (interquartile range 25-92) years, 57% were men and 43% were women. Depending on aetiology and stroke subtype, all the patients were divided into three groups: 42 patients with atherothrombotic stroke, 41 – with lacunar stroke, and 17 patients with cardioembolic stroke. Atherothrombotic stroke developed often in people over 60 years old, while lacunar stroke prevailed at the younger age. Stroke cases increased in people over 51 years old. Although men were more likely to suffer strokes than women, stroke incidence was equal in both sexes with increasing of age (over 60 years old), especially in atherothrombotic stroke, testifying to that women live longer. Combination of cerebral atherosclerosis and hypertension was the most significant risk factor for stroke. Atherosclerosis was the main aetiological factor for ischemic stroke, independently of its pathogenic heterogeneity. Diabetes mellitus was an independent risk factor for all stroke subtypes, which in most cases worsened the course and outcome of stroke. Hypertension was the leader aetiological factor for lacunar stroke. In these patients, we also should consider the presence of other risk factors, e.g. severe large vessel obstructions, se-triglycerol ≥2 mmol/L, etc. Cardioembolic stroke developed mainly because of cardiac thrombosis and valve pathology, which were often associated with chronic diseases of other organs, worsening the course and outcome of stroke. Despite of high prevalence of myocardial infarction in men, women were more likely to develop cardioembolic stroke.Conclusions: This study found simultaneous influence of many risk factors (multifactorial disease) in the development of ischemic stroke. The more course and influence of the underlying disease and risk factor, the higher stroke risk and severity, especially in the absence or inadequate previous therapy of underlying disease before the stroke index. We have noted a high prevalence of under-diagnosis of vascular risk factors at levels of primary and secondary care. We recommend for improved public awareness of vascular risk factors and better diagnostic and treatment facilities aimed at addressing those factors at levels of primary and secondary healthcare. Larger population-based studies may provide additional data on stroke incidence and outcome among Uzbeks.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanjana S Perera ◽  
Balakumar Swaminathan ◽  
Jackie Bosch ◽  
Robert G Hart ◽  

Background: Atherosclerotic stenosis of large IC arteries is an important cause of stroke. The prevalence of ICS in stroke population differs by ethnicity.We report the frequency of ICS among a global sample of patients with non-lacunar cryptogenic ischemic stroke (NLCIS) who did not have another identifiable cause for stroke i.e. cardioembolic, extracranial LAD, or other specific causes. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that the prevalence rates of ICS will differ according to global regions. Methods: Consecutive patients with recent ischemic stroke were retrospectively surveyed at 19 stroke centers in 19 countries to identify the frequency of IC imaging and its yield. Countries were grouped by World Bank regions. ICS was considered to be significant if there was >50% stenosis in the arteries proximal to the index stroke evidenced by MRA, CTA or TCD. Results: We identified a total of 2145 consecutive ischemic stroke patients among which 475 had NLCIS. IC arterial imaging was carried-out,on average, in 87% of patients. Of these 414 patients, 15% had stenosis proximal to the area of brain ischemia. The frequency of ICS among NLCIS patients was highest in East Asia (27%) and lowest in Pacific (4%). Patients with ICS in Latin America were significantly younger when compared to other 4 regions. Conclusion: IC arterial imaging is carried out in majority of stroke centers in patients with NLCIS, among whom the fraction of IS associated with ICS is substantial throughout the world, averaging about 15%. MRA / CTA had a higher yield than TCD. On average these patients have traditional vascular risk factors except for Latin American patients who are significantly younger with no vascular risk factors.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Cantu-Brito ◽  
Erwin Chiquete ◽  
Jose L Ruiz-Sandoval ◽  
Fernando Flores-Silva

Background and Purpose: The objective of this study were to describe the proportion of patients eligible for the COMPASS trial among stable outpatients with either established atherothrombotic disease or major vascular risk factors, and to analyze 6-month incident stroke risk according vascular risk factors at baseline. Methods: We prospectively recruited 5,101 stable outpatients in 172 sites, within the Mexican INDAGA cohort study. Inclusion criteria were age >18 years and established atherothrombotic disease [history of either acute coronary syndromes (ACS), acute ischemic stroke (AIS)/transient ischemic attack (TIA) or peripheral artery disease (PAD)] or major vascular risk factors (age <55 years plus ≥2 major vascular risk factors, or age ≥55 years plus ≥1 vascular risk factors). Among these patients, we applied the selection criteria of the COMPASS trial for analysis, dividing the population in no COMPASS criteria met and COMPASS criteria met, and this last group subdivided among patients with previous AIS/TIA and without this antecedent, in order to stratify the risk for stroke during 6-month follow-up (incident AIS/TIA). Results: Among 5,101 stable outpatients with either established atherothrombotic disease (n=2,827) or major vascular risk factors (n=2,274), a total of 1,927 (37.8%) met COMPASS trial criteria: 1,054 (54.7%) with established cerebrovascular disease (past history of AIS/TIA) and 873 (45.3%) without. During 6-month follow-up, there were 89 incident AIS/TIA (39 AIS and 54 TIA): 1.7% among the whole population and 2.2% among the COMPASS subgroup. AIS/TIA occurred in a similar frequency among the COMPASS subgroup with established cerebrovascular disease (1.6%) and COMPASS without cerebrovascular disease (0.9%) (P=0.18). After a Cox-proportional hazards model, independent predictors of incident AIS/TIA were age ≥65 years (HR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.29-3.07) and established cerebrovascular disease at baseline (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.02-2.53). Conclusions: The majority of stable outpatients at vascular risk met COMPASS selection criteria and could be good candidates for low-dose rivaroxaban in addition to aspirin. Short-term predictors of AIS/TIA were old age and history of cerebrovascular disease


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakhee Lalla ◽  
Ryan Dunlow ◽  
Karen L Yarbrough ◽  
Prachi Mehndiratta ◽  
Michael S Phipps ◽  
...  

Introduction: The AHA notes that more than 76% of strokes are the first occurrence. There are class 1 recommendations for the management of common risk factors such as atrial fibrillation (AF), hyperlipidemia (HLD), hypertension (HTN), diabetes (DM), and vascular disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the percentage of large vessel strokes that are potentially preventable with adequate management of vascular risk factors. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients undergoing endovascular therapy (EVT) from 2012-2019. Data was collected on vascular risk factors present prior to admission including HTN, DM, HLD, AF, and smoking. Preventable stroke was defined as having at least one of the following: untreated AF, untreated HLD, poorly controlled HTN (presence of left ventricular hypertrophy on transthoracic echo), history of vascular disease not on an antiplatelet agent, poorly controlled DM (A1c>10), current smoking. Groups were compared based on age, sex and 90 day functional outcomes, with favorable outcome defined as mRS ≤ 2. Results: Our sample included 396 patients who underwent EVT (mean age 65, 50% female). 42% of patients with Afib were not on anticoagulation, 31% of patients with HLD were untreated, 39% of patients with HTN were poorly controlled, 27% of patients with a history of vascular disease were not on an antiplatelet, 14% of patients with DM were poorly controlled, and 46% of all patients were smokers. In total, 78% of patients had at least 1 poorly controlled risk factor and 37% had at least 2. There was no difference in rates of preventable stroke between males and females (48% vs 52%, p=0.30) and between age groups above and below 70 (40% vs 60%, p=0.68). 64% of patients with well controlled risk factors had a favorable outcome compared to 51% with at least one poorly controlled risk factor (p=0.03). Conclusions: Our data suggests that despite guidelines on management of vascular risk factors, a large number of these are poorly controlled prior to admission for large vessel stroke, leading to a potentially preventable procedure. Not only could improved primary prevention save the wide array of resources utilized in EVT, but it could also influence long term outcomes in this cohort of patients.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphne Antillon ◽  
Natalie Valle ◽  
Kaiwen Lin ◽  
Waimei Tai ◽  
Mary Ann Gallup ◽  
...  

Background: Recent nationally representative studies of stroke patients have revealed that vascular risk factors are not as aggressively controlled in women compared to men. Medically underserved minority populations are at particularly high risk for poor control of vascular risk factors; however, little is known about sex differences in this population. Methods: Sex-specific vascular risk factors and admission medications were assessed for 440 consecutive ischemic stroke patients (39% female) admitted to a safety-net public hospital in Los Angeles County. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine sex differences in vascular risk factors, adjusting for age and race. Results: The mean age was 58.9 (SE 10.6) years, 58% were Hispanic, 7% were white, 13% were black, 20% were Asian, and 1% were Native American. Stroke classification (using modified TOAST) revealed the following distribution: 35% small vessel, 20% large vessel, 7% cardioembolic, 23% cryptogenic, 13% >1 possible etiology, and 3% other mechanisms (e.g. drug use). Women had higher mean glycosylated hemoglobin levels than men (8.0% vs 7.4%, p<0.01) and were more likely than men to have a history of type 2 diabetes (49% vs. 40% male, p=0.04), systolic blood pressure > 140 mm Hg (72% vs. 62%, p=0.03), total cholesterol > 200 mg/dL (46% vs. 36%, p=0.04), and low HDL levels (<40 mg/dL for men and <50 mg/dL for women)(83% vs. 79%, p <0.01). Men were more likely than women to have a previous history of stroke (19% vs. 13%, p = 0.05), smoking (49% vs 19%, p<0.01), and alcohol abuse (28% vs. 7%, p<0.01). After adjustment for race and age, women were more likely than men to have total cholesterol > 200 mg/dL (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.05-2.31), BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.03-2.34), systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg (OR 1.46, 95% CI 0.96-2.22), low HDL (1.26, 95% CI 0.76-2.08), and triglyceride level > 150 mg/dL (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.74-1.63); however, the latter 3 were not significant. After adjustment for race and age, men were more likely than women to have a history of smoking (OR 4.54, 95% CI 2.78-7.14) and alcohol abuse (OR 5.56, 95% CI 2.86-11.11). Conclusions: In this multi-ethnic population with inadequate access to care, women are more likely than men to have obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia while men are more likely than women to smoke or abuse alcohol. Larger studies are necessary to validate these findings. In the meantime, interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of metabolic syndrome components among women and smoking and alcohol abuse among men in underserved communities are likely warranted.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Aradine ◽  
Yan Hou ◽  
Kathleen A Ryan ◽  
Prachi Mehndiratta ◽  
Michael S Phipps ◽  
...  

Introduction: Few studies have compared the proportion of ischemic strokes attributable to traditional vascular risk factors (population-attributable risk percent or PAR%) between genders and races. The PAR% is a function of the population prevalence and strength of association of a risk factor. Methods: A population-based case-control study of ischemic stroke in young adults ages 18-49 in the Baltimore-Washington region was used to study the prevalence, odds ratios, and PAR% of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking among blacks and whites. Logistic regression was used to calculate age-adjusted odds ratios. All analyses were stratified by gender. Results: There were 1044 cases and 1099 controls. Of the cases, 47% were black, 54% were women. Roughly a quarter to a third of all strokes in women were attributable to smoking. Due to the higher prevalence of hypertension and a higher odds ratio for hypertension in black men (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.6-5.9) compared to white men (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.6), there was a much higher PAR% for hypertension among black men than white men. See Table 1 for prevalence and Table 2 for PAR% stratified by gender and race. Conclusion: Traditional vascular risk factors have the potential to explain a high proportion of ischemic stroke in young adults. The high proportion of strokes in women attributable to smoking underscores the need for targeted smoking cessation interventions in this population. Diabetes and, especially, hypertension are important contributors to the excess population burden of ischemic stroke among blacks. These findings support the value of early screening and treatment for hypertension in young blacks.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Katrin Giese ◽  
Markus D Schirmer ◽  
Adrian V Dalca ◽  
Ramesh Sridharan ◽  
Lisa Cloonan ◽  
...  

Introduction: White matter hyperintensity (WMH) is a highly heritable trait and a significant contributor to stroke risk and severity. Vascular risk factors contribute to WMH severity; however, knowledge of the determinants of WMH in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is still limited. Hypothesis: WMH volume (WMHv) varies across AIS subtypes and is modified by vascular risk factors. Methods: We extracted WMHv from the clinical MRI scans of 2683 AIS subjects from the MRI-Genetics Interface Exploration (MRI-GENIE) study using a novel fully-automated, volumetric analysis pipeline. Demographic data, stroke risk factors and stroke subtyping for the Causative Classification of Stroke (CCS) were performed at each of the 12 international study sites. WMHv was natural log-transformed for linear regression analyses. Results: Median WMHv was 5.7cm 3 (interquartile range (IQR): 2.2-12.8cm 3 ). In univariable analysis, age (63.1 ± 14.7 years, β=0.04, SE=0.002), prior stroke (10.2%, β=0.66, SE=0.08), hypertension (65.4%, β=0.75, SE=0.05), diabetes mellitus (23.1%, β=0.35, SE=0.06), coronary artery disease (17.6%, β=0.04, SE=0.002), and atrial fibrillation (14.6%, β=0.48, SE=0.07) were significant predictors of WMHv (all p<0.0001), as well as smoking status (52.2%, β=0.15, SE=0.05, p=0.005), race (16.5% Non-Caucasian, β=0.25, SE=0.07) and ethnicity (8.2% Hispanic, β=0.30, SE=0.11) (all p<0.01). In multivariable analysis, age (β=0.04, SE=0.002), prior stroke (β=0.56, SE=0.08), hypertension (β=0.33, SE=0.05), smoking status (β=0.16, SE=0.05), race (β=0.42, SE=0.06), and ethnicity (β=0.34, SE=0.09) were independent predictors of WMHv (all p<0.0001), as well as diabetes mellitus (β=0.13, SE=0.06, p=0.02). WMHv differed significantly (p<0.0001, unadjusted) across CCS stroke subtypes: cardioembolic stroke (8.0cm 3 , IQR: 4.2-15.4cm 3 ), large-artery stroke (6.9cm 3 , IQR: 3.1-14.7cm 3 ), small-vessel stroke (5.8cm 3 , IQR: 2.5-13.5cm 3 ), stroke of undetermined (4.7cm 3 , IQR: 1.6-11.0cm 3 ) or other (2.55cm 3 , IQR: 0.9-8.8cm 3 ) causes. Conclusion: In this largest-to-date, multicenter hospital-based cohort of AIS patients with automated WMHv analysis, common vascular risk factors contribute significantly to WMH burden and WMHv varies by CCS subtype.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaori Miwa ◽  
Shuhei Okazaki ◽  
Yoshiki Yagita ◽  
Manabu Sakaguchi ◽  
Hideki Mochizuki ◽  
...  

Objectives: Increased serum total homocysteine (tHcy) levels have been associated with not only vascular injury but also dementia. However, given an association between Hcy and vascular injury, such as cerebral small-vessel disease (SVD) or renal impairment, to what extent Hcy would impact future dementia beyond these confouders is unknown. We assessed the predictive value of tHcy levels with the risk of dementia in patients with vascular risk factors, when controlling for the MRI-findings and renal imapirment. Methods: Within a Japanese cohort of partients with vascular risk factors in an observational study from 2001, we evaluated the association between tHcy levels at baseline, defined as a continuous variable (per 1 μmol/L) and as a categorical variable (the tertile of tHcy), the prevalence of MRI-findings, and incident all-cause dementia during follow-up. Baseline brain MRI was used to determine SVD (lacuna, white matter hyperintensities and cerebral microbleeds [CMBs]) and atrophy (medial-temporal lobe atrophy). Cox proportional hazards analyses were performed for predictors of dementia adjusting for age, sex, APOEε4 allele, educational level, cerebrovascular events, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), vascular risk factors, and MRI-findings. Results: Of the 643 subjects (mean:67.2±8.4years, male:59%, 12.9±2.6years of schooling), in multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, cerebrovascular events, eGFR, and intima-media thickness, the highest tHcy tertile (vs lowest) were associated with lacuna, CMBs and strictly deep CMBs, respectively. During the mean 7.3-year follow-up (range:3-13), 47 incident dementia patients (Alzheimer’s disease:24; vascular dementia:18; mixed-type:3; other:2) were diagnosed. In multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, cerebrovascular events, eGFR, and MRI-findings, tHcy level or the highest tertile of tHcy for all-cause dementia remained significant, respectively (relative risk [RR]1.09: p=0.02, RR;2.59: p=0.021). Conclusions: Our results provide additional evidence of Hcy that leads to increased susceptibility to the risk of dementia, suggesting that this association may be mediated by independent mechanisms.


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