Prognostic factors for long-term poor outcomes after acute ischemic stroke in very old age (>80 years) patients: Total cholesterol level might differently influence long-term outcomes after acute ischemic stroke at ages above 80 years

Monitoring risk and preventing ischemic stroke in the very old

INTRODUCTION

Stroke is a significant cause of death, and the leading cause of severe long-term disability for individuals over 80 (the very old), yet few studies of such risk factors for ischemic stroke, or the known mitigation techniques, in this population, and the evidence base regarding risk modification strategies in this susceptible population can be inconsistent and incomplete. This article examines current guidelines and evidence regarding medical management, lifestyle changes, and psychosocial interactions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of ischemic stroke in the very old.

AREAS COVERED

The authors conducted a literature search for ischemic stroke prevention and risk assessment in the elderly via PubMed. Furthermore, they describe current strategies for monitoring risk and preventing ischemic stroke in the elderly population.

EXPERT OPINION

Ischemic stroke poses a significant health risk to the elderly, with prevention relying on managing modifiable risk factors such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and high cholesterol, as well as promoting healthy lifestyle choices like quitting smoking, regular physical activity and a heart-healthy diet. Healthcare providers must adopt a multifaceted approach, addressing individual and population-level factors while remaining vigilant in monitoring and managing risk factors to reduce the incidence and impact of stroke in older adults.

CHA2DS2-VASc score stratifies mortality risk in heart failure patients aged 75 years and older with and without atrial fibrillation

Background

During the last decade, the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes in several cardiovascular (CV) and non-cardiovascular diseases beyond atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether the CHA₂DS₂-VASc score stratifies mortality risk in elderly patients with AF and without AF is not well established.

Methods

All consecutive patients aged ≥ 75 yrs hospitalized due to heart failure (HF), between January 2020 and November 2020, were retrospectively enrolled. All patients underwent physical examination, blood tests, electrocardiography and conventional transthoracic echocardiography. Primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, while secondary endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality + rehospitalizations for all causes over mid-term follow-up.

Results

The study included 261 HF patients (86.3 ± 6.4 years, 60.5% females). 85 AF and 176 non-AF patients were separately analyzed. Compared to non-AF patients, those with AF had significantly higher CHA₂DS₂-VASc score (5.6 ± 1.4 vs 5.1 ± 1.4, p = 0.007) and lower ejection fraction (47.4 ± 16.5 vs 56.7 ± 15.1%, p < 0.001). Mean follow-up was 1.7 ± 0.5 yrs. During follow-up, 96 patients died (58.3% due to CV causes) and 79 were rehospitalized (58.2% due to CV causes). CHA₂DS₂-VASc score was independently associated with all-cause mortality in whole study population (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.36–1.92) and in both AF (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.09–1.82) and non-AF patients (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.40–2.40). CHA₂DS₂-VASc score also predicted the secondary endpoint in the same study groups. CHA₂DS₂-VASc score ≥ 5 was the best cut-off value for predicting both outcomes.

Conclusion

At mid-term follow-up, a CHA₂DS₂-VASc score ≥ 5 predicts increased risk of all-cause mortality and re-hospitalizations for all causes in elderly HF patients, regardless of AF.

Increased recurrent risk did not improve cerebrovascular disease survivors' response to stroke in China: a cross-sectional, community-based study

Background

Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) survivors are at a high risk of recurrent stroke. Although it is thought that survivors with higher risk of stroke respond better to stroke onset, to date, no study has been able to demonstrate that. Thus, we investigated whether the intent to call emergency medical services (EMS) increased with recurrent stroke risk among CVD survivors.

Methods

A cross-sectional community-based survey was conducted from January 2017 to May 2017, including 187,723 adults (age ≥ 40 years) across 69 administrative areas in China. A CVD survivor population of 6290 was analyzed. According to the stroke risk score based on Essen Stroke Risk Score, CVD survivors were divided into three subgroups: low (0), middle (1–3) and high (4–7) recurrent risk groups. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify the association between the stroke risk and stroke recognition, as well as stroke risk and EMS calling.

Results

The estimated stroke recognition rate in CVD survivors with low, middle, and high risk was 89.0% (503/565), 85.2% (3841/4509), and 82.5% (1001/1213), respectively, while the rate of calling EMS was 66.7% (377/565), 64.3% (2897/4509), and 69.3% (840/1213), respectively. The CVD survivors’ knowledge of recognizing stroke and intent to call EMS did not improve with recurrent stroke risk, even after adjustment for multiple socio-demographic factors.

Conclusions

Despite being at a higher risk of recurrent stroke, Chinese CVD survivors showed poor knowledge of stroke, and their intent to call EMS did not increase with recurrent stroke risk. Enhanced and stroke risk-orientated education on stroke recognition and proper response is needed for all CVD survivors.

Meta-Analysis of Dyslipidemia Management for the Prevention of Ischemic Stroke Recurrence in China

Background: The benefit of blood cholesterol reduction for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke remains undetermined in Chinese patients. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to determine whether lipid-lowering agents including statins, fibrates, nicotinic acid, and ezetimibe reduced the risk of recurrent stroke in ischemic stroke patients in China and whether such findings could inform treatment decisions for blood lipid-lowering treatment in China. Methods: The English electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Chinese databases CNKI, Sino-Med, Wan Fang, and VIP were searched for studies published between January 1990 and April 2020. This meta-analysis included published data from trials that randomly assigned patients to groups treated with either blood lipid-lowering regimens or placebo. Effect comparisons were made using fixed effects model in meta-analysis and linear and spline regression were performed to identify the relative risk of stroke recurrence. The primary outcome was the reduction of total ischemic stroke events, and relative risk values were obtained using a risk prediction equation developed from the control groups of the included trials. Results: Five studies including 4,999 individuals with available data met the inclusion criteria. Relative to the control groups, the pooled estimated odds ratio (OR) for recurrent stroke among those who received lipid-lowering therapy was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63-1.00). A 50% or greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) significantly reduced the risk of ischemic stroke recurrence (OR: 0.15 [95% CI: 0.11-0.20]). The overall beneficial effect of statin therapy was confirmed to prevent ischemic stroke with an OR of 0.51 (95% CI: 0.36-0.72). Conclusions: Effective lipid-lowering therapy could decrease the blood LDL-C level, which had a protective effect against stroke recurrence. These results support the use of predicted baseline cerebrovascular disease risk equations to inform decisions regarding blood lipid-lowering treatment in ischemic stroke patients in China.

Prognosis and Associated Factors among Elderly Patients with Small Artery Occlusion

Small artery occlusion (SAO) is the one of the primary subtype of ischemic stroke in China. However, its outcomes among elderly patients are unclear. Consecutive patients with SAO were recruited at Jiamusi University First Hospital, China between January 2008 and December 2016. Stroke subtype, severity, and risk factors were collected; outcomes at 3, 12, and 36 months after stroke onset were assessed. A total of 1464 SAO patients were included in this study. Participants aged ≥75 years had higher dependency rates than Participants aged <75 years with SAO in all three follow-up periods, in addition to a higher recurrence rate at 12 months and a higher mortality rate 36 months after stroke. After adjusting for confounders, elevated triglyceride level was found to be a protective factor against mortality 36 months after stroke. Stroke severity, diabetes mellitus, artery stenosis, gender, obesity, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level were independently associated with the risk of dependency; elevated triglyceride level was an independent risk factor for recurrence at 3 months point after stroke onset. These findings suggest that it is vital to manage risk factors that may affect prognosis of stroke among elderly patients with SAO to improve patient prognosis and reduce the burden of stroke in China.

Association of serum lipids with clinical outcome in acute ischaemic stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Serum lipid levels have been investigated as prognostic markers in patients with acute ischaemic stroke. However, these results remain inconsistent. This study aimed at assessing the association between serum lipid and clinical outcomes in acute ischaemic stroke. Relevant data were obtained from Cochrane Library, PubMed and Web of Science databases. The heterogeneity of pooled results was determined by the Cochran's Q test and Higgins I-squared statistic. The random-effect model was performed to calculate the pooled results if P_H < 0.05 for Q-test, otherwise the fixed-effect model was applied. The primary results were death, and the secondary were recurrence, dependency, mRS score ≥3, and early neurological deterioration. A total of 21 full-text studies was included in the present study. For primary results, the pooled results from 5 studies with 4119 patients showed that triglyceride (TG) was a significant predictor for death (OR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.43-0.98, P_H = 0.028). The pooled data from 11 studies with 12,486 patients for total cholesterol (TC), 4 studies with 7593 patients for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and 5 studies with 6933 patients for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) suggested that TC (OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.56-1.13, P_H < 0.001), LDL-C (OR = 1.02, 95%CI = 0.66-1.57, P_H = 0.042), and HDL-C (OR = 1.18, 95%CI = 0.75-1.86, P_H = 0.003) were not associated with death in acute ischaemic stroke. For secondary results, the pooled results of 2 studies with 867 patients indicated that TG was positively associated with early neurological deterioration. This study suggested that serum TG was associated with death and early neurological deterioration in acute ischaemic stroke.

CHA2DS2-VASc score as a predictor of long-term cardiac outcomes in elderly patients with or without atrial fibrillation

BACKGROUND

The CHA2DS2-VASc score is often used for stroke risk stratification in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. However, its usefulness in patients ≥75 years of age with or without AF is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate whether the CHA2DS2-VASc score can predict ischemic stroke (IS), transient ischemic attack, thromboembolism (TE), and mortality in elderly patients with and without AF.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

During 2013-2014, 1,071 patients (36.3% with concomitant AF) at least 75 years old were enrolled, and the follow-up ended on July 15, 2017. Variables included sociodemographic characteristics, complications, drugs taken, laboratory results, and echocardiographic parameters. The primary end points were IS, transient ischemic attack, and TE, expressed as IS/TE. All-cause mortality was a secondary end point. Survival curves and mortality risks were assessed via Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and compared by log-rank tests.

RESULTS

The average follow-up duration was 2.57±1.37 years. Overall, 167 patients (5.6%) died and 77 (7.2%) developed IS/TE. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was associated with IS/TE in patients 75 years or older with and without AF, and patients with a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥5 had a higher risk of stroke. However, the CHA2DS2-VASc score was not related to all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSION

The CHA2DS2-VASc score can predict IS/TE, but not mortality, in elderly patients (≥75 years) with or without AF.

Sex differences in outcomes after stroke among patients with low total cholesterol levels: a large hospital-based prospective study

Background

Previous studies have shown that total cholesterol (TC) levels are associated with stroke outcomes, but sex differences in the association between TC levels, especially a low TC level, and ischemic stroke outcomes are unknown. We aimed to assess the sex differences in stroke outcomes among patients with atherothrombotic infarctions and low TC levels in China.

Methods

This study recruited patients with atherothrombotic infarctions from Tianjin, China, between May 2005 and September 2014. Patients with low TC levels (defined as TC <4.22 mmol/L) were analyzed in this study. Sex differences in stroke subtypes, severity, risk factors, and outcomes at 3 and 12 months after stroke were compared.

Results

Overall, 1587 patients with low TC levels were recruited to this study from among 6407 patients with atherothrombotic infarctions listed in a stroke registry. Women were more likely than men to have posterior circulation infarcts, severe stroke, hypertension, and obesity but less likely to be current smokers or to consume alcohol. There were no sex differences in stroke outcomes. Older age and severe stroke were common risk factors for poor outcomes after stroke in this study. The presence of diabetes mellitus was an independent predictor of low mortality at 12 months after stroke, possibly because a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, metformin, enhances angiogenesis. Obesity was the determinant of the recurrence and dependency rates at 12 months after stroke.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that patients (both men and women) with atherothrombotic infarction who have low TC levels would not benefit from receiving statin treatment. Therefore, it is crucial to explore the impact of statin treatment on outcomes in Asian patients, especially Chinese patients with atherothrombotic and low TC levels, in order to improve outcomes after stroke and reduce the disease burden.