The Epidemiology of Stroke Amongst Women in the Asia–Pacific Region

Blood Pressure and Stroke: A Review of Sex- and Ethnic/Racial-Specific Attributes to the Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Management of Raised Blood Pressure

Raised blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and its particular strong association with stroke is well established. Although systolic BP increases with age in both sexes, raised BP is more prevalent in males in early adulthood, overtaken by females at middle age, consistently across all ethnicities/races. However, there are clear regional differences on when females overtake males. Higher BP among males is observed until the seventh decade of life in high-income countries, compared with almost 3 decades earlier in low- and middle-income countries. Females and males tend to have different cardiovascular disease risk profiles, and many lifestyles also influence BP and cardiovascular disease in a sex-specific manner. Although no hypertension guidelines distinguish between sexes in BP thresholds to define or treat hypertension, observational evidence suggests that in terms of stroke risk, females would benefit from lower BP thresholds to the magnitude of 10 to 20 mm Hg. More randomized evidence is needed to determine if females have greater cardiovascular benefits from lowering BP and whether optimal BP is lower in females. Since 1990, the number of people with hypertension worldwide has doubled, with most of the increase occurring in low- and-middle-income countries where the greatest population growth was also seen. Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and South Asia have the lowest detection, treatment, and control rates. High BP has a more significant effect on the burden of stroke among Black and Asian individuals than Whites, possibly attributable to differences in lifestyle, socioeconomic status, and health system resources. Although pharmacological therapy is recommended differently in local guidelines, recommendations on lifestyle modification are often very similar (salt restriction, increased potassium intake, reducing weight and alcohol, smoking cessation). This overall enhanced understanding of the sex- and ethnic/racial-specific attributes to BP motivates further scientific discovery to develop more effective prevention and treatment strategies to prevent stroke in high-risk populations.

In-hospital mortality and its predictors among stroke patients in sub-Saharan Africa: A systemic review and meta-analysis

Objective

To assess the in-hospital mortality from acute stroke and its predictors in sub-Saharan Africa.

Method

The literature search was conducted in the databases of PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The retrieved studies were screened by titles and abstracts, and then full texts were assessed for eligibility. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal checklist. The publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot asymmetry and the Egger tests. Data were analyzed using Stata software version 15.0 in a random-effect model.

Result

A total of 27 studies with a total sample size of 6331 were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The pooled estimated prevalence of in-hospital mortality due to stroke was 22% (95% confidence interval = 0.17-0.27). Stroke mortality in Western Africa (37%, 95% confidence interval = 0.24-0.50) was higher than in Eastern Africa (15%, 95% confidence interval = 0.12-0.19) and Southern Africa (18%, 95% confidence interval = 0.06-0.19). In three studies, mortality was higher in hemorrhagic stroke (25%) than ischemic stroke (14%). Risk factors associated with higher mortality were admission Glasgow Coma Scale, stroke severity, age, sex, presence of hypertension, and declined renal function.

Conclusion

The in-patient mortality of stroke in sub-Saharan Africa was high. Therefore, there is an urgent need for further stroke epidemiology studies in stroke subtypes and the performance of patient-level meta-analysis to understand the risk factors associated with mortality and herald appropriate intervention to curb the high mortality rate in the region.

The Lancet women and cardiovascular disease Commission: reducing the global burden by 2030

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Decades of grassroots campaigns have helped to raise awareness about the impact of cardiovascular disease in women, and positive changes affecting women and their health have gained momentum. Despite these efforts, there has been stagnation in the overall reduction of cardiovascular disease burden for women in the past decade. Cardiovascular disease in women remains understudied, under-recognised, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. This Commission summarises existing evidence and identifies knowledge gaps in research, prevention, treatment, and access to care for women. Recommendations from an international team of experts and leaders in the field have been generated with a clear focus to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease in women by 2030. This Commission represents the first effort of its kind to connect stakeholders, to ignite global awareness of sex-related and gender-related disparities in cardiovascular disease, and to provide a springboard for future research.

Tachycardia as a Negative Prognostic Factor for Stroke Outcome

INTRODUCTION

The outcome of stroke, especially lethal one is significant, as in the hemorrhagic as well as in ischemic stroke.

GOAL

was to show the impact on the stroke outcome of tachycardia correlated with lesion localization.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Material for our work was patients who were treated due to the stroke at the Neurology Clinic Sarajevo in the period from 31 March 2015 until 01 January 2016. A total of 544 stoke patients were treated in the reporting period, 221 (44.6%) died. There were 70.9% patients with ischemic and 29.1% with hemorrhagic stroke. Each patient underwent ECG, which registered tachycardia during admission and on third day of hospitalization.

RESULTS

In relation to the presence of tachycardia on admission there were statistically significant differences in the group of patients with hemorrhage and ischemia in relation to presence of tachycardia (p <0.01). In the group of patients with hemorrhage coma was more present (78.9%), while tachycardia was statistically more often in those with loss of consciousness than in the group with coma. Group of patients with ischemia has 52.75% of the patients with tachycardia without statistical correlation between the presence and absence of disorders of consciousness. Midline lesions were statistically more often associated with paroxysmal tachycardia in relation to the lateral lesions (p <0.01). Statistical analysis shows that there are statistically significant differences between observed groups χ2=35.576, p=0.0001. Lethal outcome of hemorrhagic stroke was 55.45%, 32.6% for ischemia. A significant statistical significance of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke compared to the lethal outcome correlated with the registered tachycardia and medial lesion localization.

CONCLUSION

Tachycardia on admission in patients with stroke is a relevant negative predictor for stroke outcome. Medial localization of changes significantly affects the occurrence of tachycardia and lethal outcome of stroke which is statistically significantly more associated with hemorrhagic stroke.

Ischemic heart disease among the general Mongolian population: a review of epidemiological studies

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is considered to be a pivotal health problem in Mongolia. To summarize the existing epidemiology of IHD in the general Mongolian population is crucial for primary prevention. The present review summarized population-based epidemiological data of IHD in Mongolia. When epidemiological studies were extracted from databases, very limited studies were available. The frequencies of IHD and IHD-attributable death rates appeared to be high and have an increased tendency in Mongolia. This could to be due to a gradually worsening state of potential IHD-related risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, obesity and diabetes mellitus. This might indicate an urgent need of strategies for IHD and related risk factors. Anti-IHD strategies, such as more epidemiological studies and campaigns to increase awareness of IHD, at nationwide public health levels would be required in Mongolia for more effective prevention.

Implications of female sex on stroke risk factors, care, outcome and rehabilitation: an Asian perspective

BACKGROUND

Stroke affects 16.9 million people annually and the greatest burden of stroke is in low- and middle-income countries, where 69% of all strokes occur. Stroke risk factors, mortality and outcomes differ in developing countries as compared to the developed world. We performed a literature review of 28 articles pertaining to epidemiology of stroke in Asian women, stroke risk factors, gender-related differences, and stroke outcomes.

SUMMARY

Asian women differ from women worldwide due to differences in stroke awareness, risk factor profile, stroke subtypes, and social issues that impact stroke care. While Asian men have a higher incidence of stroke as compared to women overall, the long- and short-term outcomes in Asian women tend to be poorer. Both conventional and gender-specific risk factors contribute to stroke risk. Oral contraceptive use and addictions such as tobacco and alcohol are less prevalent among Asian women due to socio cultural differences. There is however, a much higher preponderance of pregnancy-related stroke and cardio-embolic stroke secondary to rheumatic heart disease and heavy use of chewing tobacco. The overall outcome is poor due to poor access to health care and lack of resources. Key Messages: Our review exposed the gaps in our knowledge about stroke risk factors and differences in stroke care provided to Asian women. While there are sociocultural barriers that impede the provision of immediate care to these stroke patients, much needs to be done by way of prevention of recurrent stroke and treatment of risk factors.

Systolic hypertension: an increasing clinical challenge in Asia

Systolic hypertension, the predominant form of hypertension in patients aged over 50-60 years, is a growing health issue as the Asian population ages. Elevated systolic blood pressure is mainly caused by arterial stiffening, resulting from age-related vascular changes. Elevated systolic pressure increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, mortality and renal function decline, and this risk may increase at lower systolic pressure levels in Asian than Western subjects. Hence, effective systolic pressure lowering is particularly important in Asians yet blood pressure control remains inadequate despite the availability of numerous antihypertensive medications. Reasons for poor blood pressure control include low awareness of hypertension among health-care professionals and patients, under-treatment, and tolerability problems with antihypertensive drugs. Current antihypertensive treatments also lack effects on the underlying vascular pathology of systolic hypertension, so novel drugs that address the pathophysiology of arterial stiffening are needed for optimal management of systolic hypertension and its cardiovascular complications.

A Comparative Analysis of Risk Factors and Stroke Risk for Asian and Non-Asian Men: The Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration

Background

The risk of stroke is high in men among both Asian and non-Asian populations, despite differences in risk factor profiles; whether risk factors act similarly in these populations is unknown.

Aim

To study the associations between five major risk factors and stroke risk, comparing Asian with non-Asian men.

Methods

We obtained data from the Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration, a pooled analysis of individual participant data from 44 studies involving 386 411 men with 9·4 years follow-up. Using cohorts from Asia and Australia/New Zealand Cox models were fitted to estimate risk factor associations for ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke.

Results

We identified significant, positive associations between all five risk factors and risk of ischemic stroke. The associations between body mass index, smoking, and diabetes with ischemic stroke were comparable for men from Asia and Australia/New Zealand. The association between systolic blood pressure and ischemic stroke was stronger for Asian than Australia/New Zealand cohorts, whereas the reverse was true for total cholesterol. For haemorrhagic stroke, only systolic blood pressure and smoking were associated with increased risk, although the relationship with systolic blood pressure was significantly stronger for men from Asia than Australia/New Zealand ( Pinteraction = 0·03), whereas the reverse was true for smoking ( Pinteraction = 0·001). There was an inverse trend of total cholesterol with haemorrhagic stroke, significant only for Asian men.

Conclusions

Men from the Asia-Pacific region share common risk factors for stroke. Strategies aimed at lowering population levels of systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, body mass index, smoking, and diabetes are likely to be beneficial in reducing stroke risk, particularly for ischemic stroke, across the region.

The Asia pacific cohort studies collaboration: a decade of achievements

The Asia Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration (APCSC) was established in the late 1990s when there was a distinct shortfall in evidence of the importance of risk factors for cardiovascular disease in Asia. With few exceptions, most notably from Japan, most of the published reports on cardiovascular disease in the last century were from Western countries, and there was uncertainty how far etiological associations found in the West could be assumed to prevail in the East. Against this background, APCSC was set up as a pooling project, combining individual participant data (about 600,000 subjects) from all available leading cohort studies (36 from Asia and 8 from Australasia) in the region, to fill the knowledge gaps. In the past 10 years, APCSC has published 50 peer-reviewed publications of original epidemiological research, primarily concerned with coronary heart disease, stroke, and cancer. This work has established that Western risk factors generally act similarly in Asia and in Australasia, just as they do in other parts of the world. Consequently, strategies to reduce the prevalence of elevated blood pressure, obesity, and smoking are at least as important in Asia as elsewhere- and possibly more important when the vast size of Asia is considered. This article reviews the achievements of APCSC in the past decade, with an emphasis on coronary heart disease.

Are fixed-dose combination antihypertensives suitable as first-line therapy?

OBJECTIVE

To contemplate how initial antihypertensive therapy with fixed-dose combinations (FDC) might be incorporated into clinical practice, based on a compilation of evidence comparing FDCs with monotherapy and loose-dose combinations in varying patient populations.

METHODS

A non-systematic search of PubMed (from 2007 to 2012) was performed for randomized, controlled trials in order to capture the evidence on FDC versus monotherapy and loose-dose combinations as first-line therapy. The literature search focused on calcium channel blocker (CCB)-renin angiotensin system (RAS) blocker combinations. Additionally, any relevant papers known to the authors were included. International recommendations from published hypertension treatment guidelines were also consulted.

RESULTS

The results of this literature review identified two emergent issues. Firstly, there is a discord between antihypertensive use and actual blood pressure (BP) control achieved - despite an increase in the use of antihypertensives over the last 10 years, BP control rates remain low. Secondly, a greater association between BP and cardiovascular risk in Asians may magnify this discrepancy. A number of international guidelines are recommending early combination therapy, such as CCB-RAS blocker combinations in the majority of patients based on the available evidence, with such combinations showing benefits in terms of compliance, BP lowering and control, and safety. Additionally, recent studies have indicated that improved BP control may be achieved with simplified guidelines and the use of FDCs. Overall, these findings indicate that FDC could be used as first-line.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from this literature review suggest that physicians may need to readdress their approach to antihypertensive treatment. Earlier use of antihypertensive FDC (including first-line) may help to shrink the current gap between antihypertensive use and BP target control achieved. Most guidelines acknowledge that combination therapy is required in the majority of patients, and FDC are regarded as a suitable alternative, having demonstrated better compliance compared with loose-dose combinations.