Long-term mortality and recurrent vascular events in lacunar versus non-lacunar ischaemic stroke: A cohort study

Introduction Studies of differences in very long-term outcomes between people with lacunar/small vessel disease (SVD) versus other types of ischaemic stroke report mixed findings, with limited data on myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated whether long-term mortality, recurrent stroke and MI risks differ in people with versus without lacunar/SVD ischaemic stroke. Patients and methods We included first-ever strokes from a hospital-based stroke cohort study recruited in 2002–2005. We compared risks of death, recurrent stroke and MI during follow-up among lacunar/SVD versus other ischaemic stroke subtypes using Cox regression, adjusting for confounding factors. Results We included 812 participants, 283 with lacunar/SVD ischaemic stroke and 529 with other stroke. During a median of 9.2 years (interquartile range 3.1–11.8), there were 519 deaths, 181 recurrent strokes and 79 MIs. Lacunar/SVD stroke was associated with lower mortality (adjusted HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.95), largely due to markedly lower all-cause mortality in the first year. From one year onwards this difference attenuated, with all-cause mortality only slightly and not statistically significantly lower in the lacunar/SVD group (0.86, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.05). There was no clear difference in risk of recurrent stroke (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.61–1.15) or MI (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.52–1.34). Conclusion Long-term risks of all-cause mortality, recurrent stroke and MI are similar, or only slightly lower, in patients with lacunar/SVD as compared to other ischaemic stroke. Patients and physicians should be as vigilant in optimising short- and long-term secondary prevention of vascular events in lacunar/SVD as for other stroke types.

Stroke Literacy Video for Patients and Families: Symptoms, Risk Factors, and Prevention (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Most vascular events after stroke may be prevented by modifying vascular risk factors through medical and behavioral interventions. Stroke literacy, an understanding of stroke symptoms, risk factors, and treatment, likely contributes to vascular risk factor control and in turn stroke recurrence risk. Video-based interventions targeting stroke literacy may help acute stroke survivors understand stroke and subsequently reduce stroke recurrence. However, failure of prior stroke literacy interventions may be due in part to the fact that the interventions were not theory-driven. OBJECTIVE To develop a video-based educational intervention to improve stroke literacy in hospitalized acute stroke patients. METHODS The 6-step iterative process of Intervention Mapping (IM) was used to develop a video-based educational intervention and related implementation and evaluation plans. RESULTS A 5-minute video-based educational intervention was developed. The IM approach led to successful intervention development by emphasizing stakeholder involvement, generation and adoption, and information retainment in the planning phase of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS An IM approach guided the development of a video-based educational intervention to promote stroke literacy among acute stroke survivors. Future studies are needed to assess the use of technology and digital media to support wide-spread access and participation in video-based health literacy interventions for the stroke population. Studies are needed to assess the impact of video-based educational interventions paired with stroke systems of care optimization to promote stroke recurrence risk reduction. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0171952

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

Sneddon’s Syndrome as rare and underdiagnosed cause of stroke: about two cases / A Síndrome de Sneddon como causa rara e subdiagnosticada de AVC: cerca de dois casos

Case 1. Female, 27 years old, with migraine with aura. Use of combined contraceptive therapy. She presented visual and cutaneous complaints for eight months, using prednisone 60mg/day due to the hypothesis of systemic vasculitis. On examination, right temporal hemianopsia, normal fundus of the eye, Raynaud ‘s phenomenon with necrosis stitches in fingers and livedo were noted. Brain MRI with diffusion restriction in the left occipital lobe, hypersignal foci in the parietal lobe, and head of the left caudate nucleus. Reticular Livedo (RL) compatible biopsy. Anticardiolipin IgM (13.3 U/mL), ESR (47mm/h in the 1st hour and 52mm/h in the 2nd hour), and VDRL 1:8 reagents. Normal CSF. Initially treated with warfarin, she has been using rivaroxaban for two years, remaining asymptomatic. Case 2. Female, 39 years old, with a report of sudden dysarthria and right hemiparesis, with a previous episode of vertigo. A lumbosacral spine MRI was performed, presenting no alterations. Normal CSF. Antiphospholipid antibodies: Beta-2-glycoprotein I IgM 21 UR/mL and IgG 9 UR/mL, lupus anticoagulant 0.98, anticardiolipin IgG 9.4 GPL and IgM 31 MPL. Cranial MRI showed old ischemic gaps and hyperintense areas on T2/FLAIR with diffusion restriction affecting the left paramedian portion of the pons, related to acute stroke. Presence of livedo in the distal region of the limbs. In current use of warfarin 7.5mg/day, presenting remission of symptoms. Discussion: Sneddon Syndrome (SS) is a non-inflammatory thrombotic vasculopathy characterized by the concomitant presence of livedo reticularis and stroke. Neurological manifestations are present in up to 77% of cases. It is more prevalent in women between 20 and 42 years old. Treatment is aimed at preventing potentially serious, disabling, and even fatal new vascular events. Final Comments: SS is a rare syndrome that probably results from a series of acquired or congenital hemostatic abnormalities that preferentially involve the cutaneous and cerebral vascular beds. Although it has no specific biomarker, there are reports associating SS with antiphospholipid antibodies and VDRL reactor. Clinical presentation, laboratory findings and skin biopsy associated with an excellent response to anticoagulant treatment were fundamental in the diagnostic elucidation.

Variability in the Control of Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care and Its Association with Hospital Admissions for Vascular Events. The APNA Study

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, and hospital admissions. This study aimed to analyze how the differences in delivered care (variability of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) achieved targets) affect hospital admissions for cardiovascular events (CVEs) in T2D patients. Methods: We analyzed the electronic records in primary care health centers at Navarra (Spain) and hospital admission for CVEs. We followed 26,435 patients with T2D from 2012 to 2016. The variables collected were age, sex, health center, general practitioner practice (GPP), and income. The clinical variables were diagnosis of T2D, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), smoking, and antecedents of CVEs. We calculated, in each GPP practice, the proportion of patients with HbA1c ≥ 9. A non-hierarchical K-means cluster analysis classified GPPs into two clusters according to the level of compliance with HbA1C ≥ 9% control indicators. We used logistic and Cox regressions. Results: T2D patients had a higher probability of admission for CVEs when they belonged to a GPP in the worst control cluster of HbA1C ≥ 9% (HR = 1.151; 95% CI, 1.032–1.284).

The Complement System, T Cell Response, and Cytokine Shift in Normotensive versus Pre-Eclamptic and Lupus Pregnancy

Successful pregnancy requires an immunological shift with T helper CD4+ bias based on disbalance Th1/Th17 versus Th2/T regulatory (Tregs) required to induce tolerance against the semi-allogeneic fetus and placenta and to support fetal growth. Considered a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder, pre-eclampsia is characterized by multifaceted organ involvement related to impaired maternal immune tolerance to paternal antigens triggered by hypoxic placental injury as well as excessive local and systemic anti-angiogenic and inflammatory factor synthesis. Both systemic and local Th1/Th2 shift further expands to Th17 cells and their cytokines (IL-17) complemented by suppressive Treg and Th2 cytokines (IL-10, IL-4); alterations in Th17 and Tregs cause hypertension during pregnancy throughout vasoactive factors and endothelial dysfunction, providing an explanatory link between immunological and vascular events in the pathobiology of pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Apart from immunological changes representative of normotensive pregnancy, lupus pregnancy is generally defined by higher serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, lower Th2 polarization, defective and lower number of Tregs, potential blockade of complement inhibitors by anti-phospholipid antibodies, and similar immune alterations to those seen in pre-eclampsia. The current review underpins the immune mechanisms of pre-eclampsia focusing on local (placental) and systemic (maternal) aberrant adaptive and innate immune response versus normotensive pregnancy and pregnancy in systemic autoimmune conditions, particularly lupus.

Lower Serum Potassium Levels at Admission are Associated with the Risk of Recurrent Stroke in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Serum potassium abnormality is a risk factor of incident stroke, but whether it is associated with recurrent stroke in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association of serum potassium with the risk of recurrent stroke in patients with AIS or TIA. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We included 12,425 patients from the China National Stroke Registry III. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to tertiles of potassium. The outcomes were recurrence of stroke and combined vascular events at 1 year. Cox proportional hazards regression was adopted to explore the associations by calculating hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Among 12,425 enrolled patients, the median (interquartile range) of potassium was 3.92 (3.68–4.19) mmol/L. Compared with the highest tertile, after adjusted for confounding factors, the lowest tertile potassium was associated with increased risk of recurrent stroke at 1 year. The adjusted HR with 95% CI was 1.21 (1.04–1.41). There was an independent, linear association between serum potassium and stroke recurrence. Per 1 mmol/L decrease of potassium was associated with 19% higher risk of recurrent stroke (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.04–1.37). Similar trends were found in ischemic stroke and combined vascular events. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Lower serum potassium level was independently associated with elevated risk of recurrent stroke in patients with AIS or TIA. The finding suggested that monitoring serum potassium may help physicians to identify patients at high risk of recurrent stroke and to stratify risk for optimal management.

Atypical presentation of giant cell arteritis associated with SIADH: a rare association

We present here an interesting case of a 67-year-old man with 3 weeks history of lethargy, loss of appetite, generalised weakness and weight loss. Following thorough investigations, occult malignancy was ruled out. Hyponatraemia was a consistent finding which needed further classification. Additional workup including cerebral imaging and neurophysiological studies excluded cerebral vascular events and myopathies. Vasculitis screening was undertaken, and the diagnostic dilemma was revealed by the temporal arteries Doppler ultrasound which showed classical ‘halo sign’. Diagnosis of temporal arteritis was made and linked with syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, which appears to be a rare association with few instances on record. Patient was treated with high dose of prednisolone with marked improvement of clinical features.