Lower risk of subarachnoid haemorrhage in diabetes: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Prediction of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage in comparison with other stroke types using routine care data

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) can be prevented by early detection and treatment of intracranial aneurysms in high-risk individuals. We investigated whether individuals at high risk of aSAH in the general population can be identified by developing an aSAH prediction model with electronic health records (EHR) data. To assess the aSAH model's relative performance, we additionally developed prediction models for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and compared the discriminative performance of the models. We included individuals aged ≥35 years without history of stroke from a Dutch routine care database (years 2007-2020) and defined outcomes aSAH, AIS and ICH using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Potential predictors included sociodemographic data, diagnoses, medications, and blood measurements. We cross-validated a Cox proportional hazards model with an elastic net penalty on derivation cohorts and reported the c-statistic and 10-year calibration on validation cohorts. We examined 1,040,855 individuals (mean age 54.6 years, 50.9% women) for a total of 10,173,170 person-years (median 11 years). 17,465 stroke events occurred during follow-up: 723 aSAH, 14,659 AIS, and 2,083 ICH. The aSAH model's c-statistic was 0.61 (95%CI 0.57-0.65), which was lower than the c-statistic of the AIS (0.77, 95%CI 0.77-0.78) and ICH models (0.77, 95%CI 0.75-0.78). All models were well-calibrated. The aSAH model identified 19 predictors, of which the 10 strongest included age, female sex, population density, socioeconomic status, oral contraceptive use, gastroenterological complaints, obstructive airway medication, epilepsy, childbirth complications, and smoking. Discriminative performance of the aSAH prediction model was moderate, while it was good for the AIS and ICH models. We conclude that it is currently not feasible to accurately identify individuals at increased risk for aSAH using EHR data.

The causal relationship between metabolic syndrome and its components and cardiovascular disease: A mendelian randomization study

AIM

To investigate the causal relationship between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components and 14 cardiovascular diseases using Mendelian randomization (MR).

METHODS

We used summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies of MetS, its components, and cardiovascular diseases. We performed a two-sample MR analysis using the inverse-variance weighted method and other sensitivity methods. We also performed multivariate MR to adjust for potential risk factors.

RESULTS

Our study found that MetS was causally associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pulmonary embolism, coronary heart disease, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease. Waist circumference was causally associated with an increased risk of 6 cardiovascular diseases. Type 2 diabetes mellitus, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were all causally associated with coronary heart disease, with varying causal relationships with the remaining 5 cardiovascular diseases. Multivariate MR showed that, except for ischaemic stroke, waist circumference remained causally associated with the remaining five cardiovascular diseases after adjusting for potential confounders.

CONCLUSION

Our study provides evidence that metabolic syndrome is causally associated with 6 cardiovascular diseases. Waist circumference is the most important component of these relationships. These findings have implications for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.

Incidence of Stroke in People With Diabetes Compared to Those Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

One of the goals of the St. Vincent Declaration was to reduce serious complications of diabetes, including strokes. However, it remains uncertain whether this goal has been achieved.

STUDY AIM

To evaluate the incidence of stroke in the diabetic population and its differences regarding sex, ethnicity, age, and region, to compare the incidence rate in people with and without diabetes, and to investigate time trends.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines for meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology (the MOOSE group) and the PRISMA group guidelines.

RESULTS

Nineteen of the 6.470 studies retrieved were included in the analysis. The incidence of stroke in the population with diabetes ranged from 238 per 100,000 person-years in Germany in 2014 to 1191 during the 1990s in the United Kingdom. The relative risk comparing people with diabetes to those without diabetes varied between 1.0 and 2.84 for total stroke, 1.0 and 3.7 for ischemic stroke, and 0.68 and 1.6 for hemorrhagic stroke. Differences between fatal and non-fatal stroke were significant, depending on the time period and the population. We found decreasing time trends in people with diabetes and stable incidence rates of stroke over time in people without diabetes.

CONCLUSION

The considerable differences between results can partly be explained by differences in study designs, statistical methods, definitions of stroke, and methods used to identify patients with diabetes. The lack of evidence arising from these differences ought to be rectified by new studies.

Outcomes in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Receiving Sulfonylureas: A Propensity-Adjusted Analysis

OBJECTIVE

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with increased blood-brain barrier permeability, disrupted tight junctions, and increased cerebral edema. Sulfonylureas are associated with reduced tight-junction disturbance and edema and improved functional outcome in aSAH animal models, but human data are scant. We analyzed neurological outcomes in aSAH patients prescribed sulfonylureas for diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

Patients treated for aSAH at a single institution (August 1, 2007-July 31, 2019) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with diabetes were grouped by presence or absence of sulfonylurea therapy at hospital admission. The primary outcome was favorable neurologic status at last follow-up (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2). Variables with an unadjusted P-value of <0.20 were included in a propensity-adjusted multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of favorable outcomes.

RESULTS

Of 1013 aSAH patients analyzed, 129 (13%) had diabetes at admission, and 16 of these (12%) were receiving sulfonylureas. Fewer diabetic than nondiabetic patients had favorable outcomes (40% [52/129] vs. 51% [453/884], P = 0.03). Among diabetic patients, sulfonylurea use (OR 3.90, 95% CI 1.05-15.9, P = 0.046), Charlson Comorbidity Index <4 (OR 3.66, 95% CI 1.24-12.1, P = 0.02), and absence of delayed cerebral infarction (OR 4.09, 95% CI 1.20-15.5, P = 0.03) were associated with favorable outcomes in the multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes was strongly associated with unfavorable neurologic outcomes. An unfavorable outcome in this cohort was mitigated by sulfonylureas, supporting some preclinical evidence of a possible neuroprotective role for these medications in aSAH. These results warrant further study on dose, timing, and duration of administration in humans.

Clinical Profile and Outcome in Patients with Spontaneous Subarachnoid Hemorrhage from a South Indian Tertiary Centre: A Prospective Observational Study

Objective Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a neurological condition that causes significant morbidity and mortality. It is known to have regional differences in its incidence. Indian studies have shown conflicting results about the incidence of aneurysms as the cause of SAH, varying from 35% to 80%. The data available on the epidemiology of spontaneous SAH in the South Indian population are very few. Our study aims to describe the clinical profile of patients presenting with spontaneous SAH to the emergency department in a tertiary center in South India and describe the factors influencing the clinical outcome.

Materials and Methods The study included 75 patients diagnosed with spontaneous SAH in our emergency department. Demographic data, medical history, details about the first medical contact, clinical features at admission, complications during the hospital stay, and interventions underwent were recorded. The study participants were followed-up at 6 weeks after discharge from hospital to assess the neurological outcome based on modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, using a 9-point questionnaire.

Results Of the 75 patients with spontaneous SAH, the majority were females, and in the age group of 50 to 69 years. The median time to first medical contact was observed to be 2 hours; and SAH was diagnosed at the first medical contact only in 37% of the patients. Hypertension was the most common comorbid condition associated with SAH (53%). Almost 80% of the patients who underwent angiographic studies had aneurysmal SAH (aSAH). Hydrocephalus was the most common complication seen in 37% of the patients, followed by hyponatremia (28%) and vasospasm (25%). At the time of follow-up after 6 weeks, we found that 36% of the patients were having a neurologically favorable outcome with an mRS score of 0 to 2, 8% of patients were having moderate to severe disability (mRS 3 to 5) and were living a dependent life. The mortality rate (mRS 6) was observed to be around 50% (6% lost to follow-up).

Conclusion We observed a relatively higher incidence of aneurysmal rupture among the patients with spontaneous SAH in our region. The misdiagnosis rate at first medical contact was higher. The mortality rate was observed to be around 50% at 6 weeks. Loss of consciousness at ictus, aneurysmal rupture, WFNS grades IV–V, hydrocephalus, vasospasm, hypernatremia, and delayed cerebral ischemia were found to be the mortality predictors in SAH.

Genetic Risk Score for Intracranial Aneurysms: Prediction of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Role in Clinical Heterogeneity

BACKGROUND

Recently, common genetic risk factors for intracranial aneurysm (IA) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (ASAH) were found to explain a large amount of disease heritability and therefore have potential to be used for genetic risk prediction. We constructed a genetic risk score to (1) predict ASAH incidence and IA presence (combined set of unruptured IA and ASAH) and (2) assess its association with patient characteristics.

METHODS

A genetic risk score incorporating genetic association data for IA and 17 traits related to IA (so-called metaGRS) was created using 1161 IA cases and 407 392 controls from the UK Biobank population study. The metaGRS was validated in combination with risk factors blood pressure, sex, and smoking in 828 IA cases and 68 568 controls from the Nordic HUNT population study. Furthermore, we assessed association between the metaGRS and patient characteristics in a cohort of 5560 IA patients.

RESULTS

Per SD increase of metaGRS, the hazard ratio for ASAH incidence was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.20-1.51) and the odds ratio for IA presence 1.09 (95% CI, 1.01-1.18). Upon including the metaGRS on top of clinical risk factors, the concordance index to predict ASAH hazard increased from 0.63 (95% CI, 0.59-0.67) to 0.65 (95% CI, 0.62-0.69), while prediction of IA presence did not improve. The metaGRS was statistically significantly associated with age at ASAH (β=-4.82×10-3 per year [95% CI, -6.49×10-3 to -3.14×10-3]; P=1.82×10-8), and location of IA at the internal carotid artery (odds ratio=0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.98]; P=0.0041).

CONCLUSIONS

The metaGRS was predictive of ASAH incidence, although with limited added value over clinical risk factors. The metaGRS was not predictive of IA presence. Therefore, we do not recommend using this metaGRS in daily clinical care. Genetic risk does partly explain the clinical heterogeneity of IA warranting prioritization of clinical heterogeneity in future genetic prediction studies of IA and ASAH.

Neuroinflammation and brain-peripheral interaction in ischemic stroke: A narrative review

Excessive immune activation within the lesion site can be observed after stroke onset. Such neuroinflammation within the brain parenchyma represents the innate immune response, as well as the result of the additional interactions between peripheral and resident immune cells. Accumulative studies have illustrated that the pathological process of ischemic stroke is associated with resident and peripheral immunity. The infiltration of peripheral immune cells within the brain parenchyma implicitly contributes to secondary brain injuries. Therefore, better understanding of the roles of resident and peripheral immune reactions toward ischemic insult is necessary. In this review, we summarized the interaction between peripheral and resident immunity on systemic immunity and the clinical outcomes after stroke onset and also discussed various potential immunotherapeutic strategies.

Impact of obesity and diabetes on postoperative outcomes following surgical treatment of nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: Analysis of the ACS-NSQIP Database

BACKGROUND

Nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) refers to high pressure extravasation of blood into the subarachnoid space that typically occurs spontaneously from rupture of cerebral aneurysm. The purpose of this study was to identify postoperative complications requiring increased surveillance in obese, diabetic, and hypertensive patients.

METHODS

Patients who underwent surgical treatment for nontraumatic SAH were queried in the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from the years 2012-2018. Cases were identified using ICD codes and then classified independently by three dichotomous diagnoses: obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.

RESULTS

Among 1,002 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 311 (31%) were obese (BMI >30), 86 (9%) had diabetes treated with insulin or non-insulin agents and 409 (41%) required medication for hypertension. There was a statistically significant association between diabetes and post-operative pneumonia (OR = 1.694; 95% CI 0.995 - 2.883; p = 0.050), prolonged ventilator dependence (OR = 1.700; 95% CI 1.087 - 2.661; p = 0.019), and death (OR = 1.846; 95% CI 1.071 - 3.179; p = 0.025). Medicationdependent hypertension was statistically associated with incidence of stroke/CVA (OR = 1.763; 95% CI 1.056 - 2.943; p = 0.023). Obesity was not associated with adverse outcomes in this population.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients undergoing surgical management of SAH, hypertensive and diabetic patients had poorer outcomes, including prolonged ventilator dependence, pneumonia, stroke/CVA, and death. Surprisingly, preexisting obesity was not associated with poor outcomes. In fact, overweight BMI, Class I, and Class II obesity had decreased need for transfusion in the 30-day postoperative period.