Sex-Based Differences in Symptom Perception and Care-Seeking Behavior in Acute Stroke

Factors associated with decision time to seek care in the face of ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVE

To verify the association between sociodemographic, clinical, environmental, cognitive, and emotional factors and the decision time of people with ischemic stroke to seek a health service after the onset of symptoms or wake up stroke.

METHOD

Cross-sectional study carried out from March to October 2019, with 304 patients, in a public hospital, a reference in neurology. Data obtained through interview and from medical records. Decision time was analyzed as a geometric mean. In the bivariate and multivariate analyses, linear regression was used and the Akaike Information Criterion was used to select the best model. Statistical significance of 5% was adopted.

RESULTS

The geometric mean of decision time was 0.30h (95% CI 0.23-0.39). The final model explained this time in 41%, showing an increase of 0.5 min for people with arterial hypertension; 10.8 min for those who waited for symptoms to improve; 1.4 min for those who were alone at the onset of symptoms; 3.9 min for those at home; 3.2 min for the ones at work; and 2.1 for those on the street/public space.

CONCLUSION

The mean decision time for seeking a health service was high and influenced by clinical, environmental, cognitive, and emotional variables. The results guide nurses regarding health education.

Sex differences in acute telestroke care: more to the story

Background

Previous studies have shown sex differences in stroke care. Female patients have both lower thrombolytic treatment rates with OR reported as low as 0.57 and worse outcomes. With updated standards of care and improved access to care through telestroke, there is potential to reduce or alleviate these disparities.

Methods

Acute stroke consultations seen by TeleSpecialists, LLC physicians in the emergency department in 203 facilities (23 states) from January 1, 2021 to April 30, 2021 were extracted from the Telecare by TeleSpecialists^™ database. The encounters were reviewed for demographics, stroke time metrics, thrombolytics candidate, premorbid modified Rankin Score, NIHSS score, stroke risk factors, antithrombotic use, admitting diagnosis of suspected stroke, and reason not treated with thrombolytic. The treatment rates, door to needle (DTN) times, stroke metric times, and variables of treatment were compared for females and males.

Results

There were 18,783 (10,073 female and 8,710 male) total patients included. Of the total, 6.9% of females received thrombolytics compared to 7.9% of males (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75-0.97, p = 0.006). Median DTN times were shorter for males than females (38 vs. 41 min, p < 0.001). Male patients were more likely to have an admitting diagnosis of suspected stroke, p < 0.001. Analysis by age showed the only decade with significant difference in thrombolytics treatment rate was 50-59 with increased treatment of males, p = 0.047. When multivariant logistic regression analysis was performed with stroke risk factors, NIHSS score, age, and admitting diagnosis of suspected stroke, the adjusted odds ratio for females was 0.9 (95% CI 0.8, 1.01), p = 0.064.

Conclusion

While treatment differences between sexes existed in the data and were apparent in univariate analysis, no significant difference was seen in multivariate analysis once stroke risk factors, age, NIHSS score and admitting diagnosis were taken into consideration in the telestroke setting. Differences in rates of thrombolysis between sexes may therefore be reflective of differences in risk factors and symptomatology rather than a healthcare disparity.

Use of sport-related concussion information sources among parents of United States middle school children

OBJECTIVE

Parents may use various information sources to obtain information about sport-related concussions (SRC). This study examined SRC-related information sources used by parents of United States middle school children (age: 10-15 years).

METHODS

A panel of 1083 randomly selected U.S. residents, aged ≥18 years and identifying as parents of middle school children, completed an online questionnaire capturing parental and child characteristics, and utilization and perceived trustworthiness of various sources of SRC-related information. Multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with utilizing each source. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) excluding 1.00 were deemed significant.

RESULTS

Doctors/healthcare providers (49.9%) and other healthcare-related resources (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WebMD) (37.8%) were common SRC-related information sources; 64.0% of parents utilized ≥1 of these sources. Both sources were considered "very" or "extremely" trustworthy for SRC-related information among parents using these sources (doctors/healthcare providers: 89.8%; other healthcare-related resources: 70.9%). A 10-year increase in parental age was associated with higher odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers (adjusted odd ratio (OR_adjusted) = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.02-1.16) and other healthcare-related resources (OR_adjusted = 1.11, 95%CI: 1.03-1.19). The odds of utilizing doctors/healthcare providers (OR_adjusted = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.40-0.84) and other healthcare-related resources (OR_adjusted = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.44-0.93) were lower among parents whose middle school children had concussion histories versus the parents of children who did not have concussion histories.

CONCLUSION

One-third of parents did not report using doctors/healthcare providers or other healthcare-related resources for SRC-related information. Factors associated with underutilization of these sources may be targets for future intervention. Continuing education for healthcare providers and educational opportunities for parents should highlight accurate and up-to-date SRC-related information.

Differences in the pre-hospital management of women and men with stroke by emergency medical services in New South Wales

OBJECTIVES

To examine whether pre-hospital emergency medical service care differs for women and men subsequently admitted to hospital with stroke.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS

Population-based cohort study; analysis of linked Admitted Patient Data Collection and NSW Ambulance data for people admitted to New South Wales hospitals with a principal diagnosis of stroke at separation, 1 July 2005 - 31 December 2018.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Emergency medical service assessments, protocols, and management for patients subsequently diagnosed with stroke, by sex.

RESULTS

Of 202 231 people hospitalised with stroke (mean age, 73 [SD, 14] years; 98 599 women [51.0%]), 101 357 were conveyed to hospital by ambulance (50.1%). A larger proportion of women than men travelled by ambulance (52.4% v 47.9%; odds ratio [OR], 1.09; 95% CI, 1.07-1.11), but time between the emergency call and emergency department admission was similar for both sexes. The likelihood of being assessed as having a stroke (adjusted OR [aOR], 0.97; 95% CI, 0.93-1.01) or subarachnoid haemorrhage (aOR, 1.22; 95% CI, 0.73-2.03) was similar for women and men, but women under 70 years of age were less likely than men to be assessed as having a stroke (aOR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.82-0.97). Women were more likely than men to be assessed by paramedics as having migraine, other headache, anxiety, unconsciousness, hypertension, or nausea. Women were less likely than men to be managed according to the NSW Ambulance pre-hospital stroke care protocol (aOR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97), but the likelihood of basic pre-hospital care was similar for both sexes (aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.99-1.04).

CONCLUSION

Our large population-based study identified sex differences in pre-hospital management by emergency medical services of women and men admitted to hospital with stroke. Paramedics should receive training that improves the recognition of stroke symptoms in women.

Call to Action for Enhanced Equity: Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Sex Differences in Stroke Symptoms

Background

Fundamental aspects of human identity may play a role in the presentation of stroke symptoms and, consequently, stroke recognition. Strokes must be recognized and treated expeditiously, as delays result in poorer outcomes. It is known that sex plays a role in the presentation of symptoms, such that non-traditional symptoms are more commonly observed among women. However, factors such as geographical location and race/ethnicity, and the interactions between these various factors, need to be considered. This will provide an intersectional approach.

Methods

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was conducted to investigate differences in the presentation of stroke symptoms between sexes. Using PubMed and Embase, a search involving the components sex, symptoms and stroke was completed and yielded 26 full-text manuscripts.

Results

Our findings indicate that there is substantial overlap in stroke symptom presentation in men and women. Nonetheless, some differences in the clinical manifestations of stroke were observed. In addition, it was discovered that only three studies were conducted outside of North America and Europe. Furthermore, only two studies reported symptoms based on both sex and racial/ethnic group.

Conclusion

These findings indicate a research gap and call for increased research in order to uncover the possible interactions between sex and race/ethnicity in an intersectional approach. Resultantly, stroke recognition could be improved and greater equity in healthcare can be achieved.

Sex Differences in Long-Term Mortality of Patients with Hypertensive Crisis Visiting the Emergency Department

Background: There are limited data on sex difference in patients with hypertensive crisis. We investigated sex differences in characteristics and long-term mortality in patients with hypertensive crisis visiting the emergency department (ED). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study at a tertiary referral center included patients ≥18 years of age who were admitted to the ED between 2016 and 2019 with hypertensive crisis, defined as systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥110 mmHg. Results: Among the 6,467 patients who visited the ED with hypertensive crisis, 3,131(48.4%) were women. Women were older and less likely to have acute hypertension-mediated organ damage than men. The 3-year all-cause mortality did not differ between women and men (16.9% in women and 17.2% in men, p = 0.738). After adjusting for age and comorbidities, the 3-year all-cause mortality was significantly higher in men than in women (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-1.29; p = 0.031). In particular, among patients ≥50 years of age, the 3-year all-cause mortality was significantly higher in men than in women (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01-1.29; p = 0.038); however, it was not different according to sex among patients 18-49 years of age. Moreover, the 3-year all-cause mortality was significantly higher in men than in women among patients with hypertensive urgency (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.34-1.90; p < 0.001), which was reversed in patients with hypertensive emergency (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.60-0.84; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Men ≥50 years of age with hypertensive crisis, men with hypertensive urgencies, and women with hypertensive emergencies have a high risk of all-cause mortality. Thus, it is necessary to consider sex differences when predicting subsequent prognosis and determining the appropriate treatment for patients with hypertensive crisis.

Gender and thrombolysis therapy in stroke patients with incidence of dyslipidemia

BACKGROUND

When untreated, dyslipidemia is a higher risk factor for stroke and stroke-related mortality in men than in women. However, when dyslipidemia is treated the risk reduction is the same, but men benefited from mortality reduction more than women. Whether there is a gender difference in exclusion criteria for the use of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) or thrombolysis therapy in an acute ischemic stroke subpopulation with dyslipidemia is yet to be investigated.

METHOD

In a dyslipidemic stroke population obtained from a stroke registry, gender differences in exclusion risk factors were determined using clinical and demographic variables. Univariate analysis compared the recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) group and the no rtPA group. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine demographic and clinical factors associated with inclusion and exclusion for rtPA in the total dyslipidemic stroke population and the subsets of the male and female population. The regression model was tested using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, for the overall correct classification percentage. Significant interactions and multicollinearity between independent variables were examined using variance inflation factors.

RESULTS

A total of 769 patients presented with acute ischemic stroke with incidence dyslipidemia; 325 received rtPA while 444 were excluded from rtPA. Of those excluded from rtPA, 54.30% were female and 45.72% were male. In an adjusted analysis, female patients with increased age (OR = 1.024, 95% CI, 1.001-1.047, P < 0.05), with a history of carotid artery stenosis (OR = 7.063, 95% CI, 1.506-33.134, P < 0.05), and previous stroke (OR = 1.978, 95% CI, 1.136-3.442, P < 0.05) were more likely to be excluded from rtPA. Male patients with atrial fibrillation (OR = 2.053, 95% CI, 1.059-3.978, P = 0.033), carotid artery stenosis (OR = 2.400, 95% CI, 1.062-5.424, P = 0.035), and previous stroke (OR = 1.785, 95% CI, 1.063-2.998, P = 0.028) were more likely to be excluded from rtPA.

CONCLUSION

Although there are some similarities in the clinical risk factors for exclusion in both male and female stroke patients with incidence of dyslipidemia, there are differences as well. Elderly female stroke patients with incidence of dyslipidemia are more likely to be excluded from rtPA, even after adjustment for the effect of confounding variables. Further research should focus on how identified clinical risk factors can be targeted and managed to improve the use of rtPA in elderly female acute ischemic stroke population with incidence of dyslipidemia.