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PubMed2002

Family history of stroke in stroke types and subtypes.

Many studies have provided data showing that family history of stroke (FHS) is associated with an increased risk of stroke. The association of the FHS with the various stroke subtypes has not been adequately studied. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of the FHS with the two major stroke types (cerebral haematomas and ischaemic strokes) and the four stroke subtypes (cardioembolic, large artery disease, small artery disease, and undetermined) in a Greek population. The FHS was obtained from 421 consecutive acute stroke patients and from 239 matched control subjects. Positive FHS was observed in 49% of all stroke patients compared with 28% of the control subjects [adjusted OR=2.06 (95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.42-3.00)]. Haematomas, ischaemic strokes, and from the ischaemic strokes, both large and small artery disease strokes were strongly associated with positive FHS compared with the control subjects [adjusted OR=2.06 (95% CI 9-3.04), 2.07 (95% CI 1.09-3.91), 2.05 (95% CI 1.24-3.38), and 2.76 (95% CI 1.55-4.91), respectively]. There was no difference between maternal and paternal heritable contribution.In conclusion, FHS was found in this study to be an independent risk factor for all strokes combined, for each stroke type, and for the large and small-artery disease stroke subtypes, but not for the cardioembolic and undetermined stroke subtypes.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2004

[Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with acute ischemic stroke: influence of onset time of stroke].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with acute ischemic stroke and the influence of the characteristics of the stroke and time of onset. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Polysomnography was performed with an Autoset Portable Plus II in 139 patients within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms. Standard polysomnographic data, signs and symptoms related with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) prior to ischemic stroke, vascular risk factors, and characteristics and onset time (day/night) of ischemic stroke were recorded. The polysomnographic data were compared with results published for subjects of a similar age in the general population. RESULTS: The mean age was 73.6 (SD 11.1) years (59% of the patients were men). Prior to the stroke, 64.7% of the patients snored, 21.6% presented repetitive sleep apneas, and 35.6% had daytime sleepiness. The mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 29.1 (17.9) episodes/hour, the obstructive component of which was 20.1 (15.7) episodes/hour. Five patients presented Cheyne-Stokes breathing. The AHI (for all cut-points from 5 to 50), chronic snoring, and daytime sleepiness were significantly greater than those published for the general population. The stroke characteristics showed no significant differences between daytime and nighttime onset. Nighttime stroke (60.4%) was associated with a significantly higher AHI (33.3 compared to 24.7 episodes/ hour) mainly because of obstructive apneas. Nighttime stroke was also associated with a greater nighttime desaturation and a greater probability of SAHS symptoms prior to stroke (odds ratio, 2.62). In contrast, there were no differences in vascular risk factors between daytime and nighttime stroke onset. CONCLUSION: The prevalences of sleep-disordered breath- ing with clinical signs and symptoms of SAHS were high in this population of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Patients with nighttime stroke had more obstructive sleep-disordered breathing and a higher clinical probability of obstructive SAHS before stroke. These findings support the hypothesis that obstructive SAHS is a risk factor for ischemic stroke, particularly for strokes presenting at night.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Improvement in stroke care in a non-urban community hospital--quality of procedures before and after participating in a telemedical stroke network].

BACKGROUND: Although treatment in a stroke unit has been proven to be effective, most stroke patients in rural areas have no access to it. The community hospital of Ebersberg (Bavaria/Germany) joined the Telemedic Project for Integrative Stroke Care (TEMPiS) in order to optimize the quality of stroke care. This analysis focuses on changes in stroke management using generally accepted indicators for quality of acute stroke treatment. METHODS: The core elements consisted of the setting up of a stroke ward in the community hospital, continual stroke education and a 24-hour telemedical consultation service offered by stroke centers. Treatment of stroke patients was documented during two 12-months periods before the project was started start (i.e. retrospectively) and during the course of the project (prospectively). In addition, data on fatal outcome and institutionalization of patients who had lived at home before the qualifying event were collected 12 months after stroke onset. RESULTS: There were 299 admissions for stroke or transient ischemic attacks between 1 Nov 2001 and 31 Oct 2002, and 305 between 7 July 2003 and 6 June 2004. Length of in-hospital stay decreased from 12.1 to 9.2 days. More patients (10.3 vs. 1.3%) were transferred to other acute hospitals during the later period. Indicators for stroke care quality improved: numbers of cerebral imaging rose from 56.5% to 96.4%, of duplex sonography of cervical arteries from 43.5 to 72.8 %, of speech therapy from 0% to 50.8% and of occupational therapy from 0 to 33.4%. One year after admission, 18.9% and 17.2%, respectively, of the patients had died, while 10.2% and 6.1% were living in institutions. CONCLUSION: Participation in the TEMPiS network substantially improved stroke care quality according to national and international guidelines. These improvements may lead to a better prognosis after a stroke.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed2002

Sex differences in US mortality rates for stroke and stroke subtypes by race/ethnicity and age, 1995-1998.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ischemic stroke accounts for 70% to 80% of all strokes, but intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhagic strokes have greater fatality. Age-standardized death rates from overall stroke are higher among men than women, but little is known about sex differences in stroke subtype mortality by race/ethnicity. METHODS: We analyzed 1995 to 1998 national death certificate data to compare sex-specific age-standardized death rates (per 100 000) for ischemic stroke (n=507 256), intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (n=98 709), and subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke (n=27 334) among whites, blacks, American Indians/Alaska Natives, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. We calculated rate ratios and 95% CIs comparing women with men within age and racial/ethnic groups. RESULTS: Age-specific rates of ischemic and intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke deaths were lower for women than for men aged 25 to 44 and 45 to 64 years but were higher for ischemic stroke among older women, aged > or =65 years. Only among whites did women have higher age-standardized rates of ischemic stroke. Age-standardized death rates for intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke among women were lower than or similar to those among men in all racial/ethnic groups. Women had higher risk of death from subarachnoid hemorrhagic; this sex differential increased with age. CONCLUSIONS: The female-to-male mortality ratio differs for stroke subtypes by race/ethnicity and age. A primary public health effort should focus on increasing the awareness of stroke symptoms, particularly among people at high risk, to decrease delay in early detection and effective stroke treatment.

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PubMed2003

Poor outcome after first-ever stroke: predictors for death, dependency, and recurrent stroke within the first year.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to define predictors of poor outcome after a first-ever stroke. We studied risk factors and stroke severity at baseline in relationship to death, dependency, and stroke recurrence within a year after the event. METHODS: The study included a community-based cohort of first-ever stroke patients. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was not included. All patients (n=377) were subjected to investigations regarding risk factors. Stroke severity was evaluated with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and dependency was defined according to the modified Rankin Scale. Multivariate regression models were used to analyze predictors of survival, dependency, and stroke recurrence. The following independent variables were used: age, sex, cohabitation status, cigarette smoking, dementia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, transitory ischemic attack, peripheral atherosclerosis, and stroke severity. RESULTS: The 1-year mortality was 33%. After 1 year, 37% of the survivors were dependent; 9% of survivors had a recurrent stroke within a year. Dementia, age, stroke severity, and atrial fibrillation were associated with death within a year. Dependency was associated with age, stroke severity, and heart failure. Stroke recurrence was predicted by age and dementia. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to age and stroke severity, heart diseases and dementia before the stroke seem to have an impact on mortality and recurrence after 1 year. Finding and, when possible, treating these prestroke conditions may affect stroke morbidity and mortality favorably.

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PubMed1999

Stable stroke occurrence despite incidence reduction in an aging population: stroke trends in the danish monitoring trends and determinants in cardiovascular disease (MONICA) population.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A stroke register was established at the Glostrup Population Studies in 1982 with the objective to monitor stroke occurrence in the population continuously during a 10-year period and contribute data to the WHO Monitoring Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA) Project. The purpose of the current analysis was to estimate temporal trends in stroke occurrence. METHODS: All stroke events in the study population were ascertained and validated according to standardized criteria outlined by the WHO MONICA Project. The study population comprised all subjects > or = 25 years of age. Stroke was defined by the clinical presentation. A total of 5262 stroke events in >2 million person-years were analyzed. Age-adjusted rates for first-ever stroke and for all stroke events were calculated and temporal trends estimated by means of Poisson regression. RESULTS: The overall annual stroke attack rate per 100,000 person-years in the age range > or = 25 years was 272 in men and 226 in women. Age-adjusted stroke attack rates decreased among men by 3.9% per year and by 4.1% among women. Age-adjusted stroke incidence rates declined by 2.9% in men and by 3. 1% in women. The trends were statistically significant in both sexes. However, the proportion of elderly people in the study population increased during the time period of the study. Hence the numbers of stroke victims in the population remained largely unaltered. CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing age-adjusted stroke incidence rates point to a reduction of stroke risk during the time period of the study. Cardiovascular prevention, in particular improved hypertension control, is believed to have contributed to the incidence reduction. However, the burden of stroke on the healthcare system did not substantially diminish. The gain likely achieved from reduction of preventable risk factors was almost counterbalanced by population aging.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Plasma endothelin-1 levels neither increase nor correlate with neurological scores, stroke risk factors, or outcome in patients with ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endothelins (ETs) are potent vasoconstrictors and may play a role in the pathophysiology of several diseases. Limited and controversial data exist on their role in human ischemic stroke. We planned a prospective, observational, and longitudinal clinical study to test whether ET-1 levels increase in various phases of ischemic stroke and whether the ET-1 levels correlate with neurological scores, stroke etiology, stroke risk factors, or final outcome. METHODS: We measured plasma ET-1 levels with a sandwich-enzyme immunoassay method in 101 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke on admission and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after stroke and in 101 sex- and age-matched control subjects. At each sampling, the patients underwent a complete neurological evaluation. All stroke risk factors were recorded, an array of laboratory tests were performed, and the subtype of ischemic stroke was determined. The patients were contacted 3 years later for prognostic determination. RESULTS: ET-1 levels in patients (2.4+/-1.3 pg/mL on admission, 2.2+/-1.4 pg/mL at 1 week, 2.1+/-1.4 pg/mL at 1 month, and 2.1+/-1.2 pg/mL at 3 months) were not different from those of the control subjects (2.2+/-0.9 pg/mL) at any time point. No correlation was found between the ET-1 levels and stroke etiology, stroke risk factors, stroke recurrence risk, age, sex, or neurological scores, except that ET-1 levels correlated with the use of warfarin and with body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma ET-1 levels were normal in patients with ischemic stroke. Our findings cannot exclude a role of ETs in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke because plasma levels might not accurately reflect intracerebral concentrations, but they also do not support the occurrence of a major plasma ET-1 level increase at any phase of stroke. Our patient population is the largest ever reported in whom ET-1 levels were measured, but it consisted of mild and moderately ill patients with stroke due to the study design, of which the aim was long-term observation, which excludes severely ill patients.

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PubMed2001

Risk factors, outcome, and treatment in subtypes of ischemic stroke: the German stroke data bank.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Data on risk factors for etiologic subtypes of ischemic stroke are still scant. The aim of this study was to characterize stroke subtypes regarding risk factor profile, outcome, and current treatment strategies. METHODS: We analyzed data from 5017 patients with acute ischemic stroke (42.4% women, aged 65.9+/-14.1 years) who were enrolled in a large multicenter hospital-based stroke data bank. Standardized data assessment and stroke subtype classification were used by all centers. RESULTS: Sex and age distribution, major risk factors and comorbidities, recurrent stroke, treatment strategies, and outcome were all unevenly distributed among stroke subtypes (P<0.001, respectively). Cardioembolism, the most frequent etiology of stroke (25.6%), was particularly common in the elderly (those aged >70 years) and associated with an adverse outcome, a low rate of early stroke recurrence, and frequent use of thrombolytic therapy and intravenous anticoagulation. Large-artery atherosclerosis (20.9%), the most common cause of stroke in middle-aged patients (those aged 45 to 70 years), showed the highest male preponderance, highest rate of early stroke recurrence, and highest prevalence of previous transient ischemic attack, current smoking, and daily alcohol consumption among all subtypes. The highest prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity was found in small-vessel disease (20.5%), which, in turn, was associated with the lowest stroke severity and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our results foster the concept of ischemic stroke as a polyetiologic disease with marked differences between subtypes regarding risk factors and outcome. Therefore, studies involving risk factors of ischemic stroke should differentiate between etiologic stroke subtypes.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Disturbance of circadian rhythm in heart rate, blood pressure and locomotive activity at the stroke-onset in malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Malignant stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (M-SHRSP), separated from SHRSP, develop severe hypertension and spontaneously develop stroke at early ages. Using this model of cerebrovascular stroke, influence of stroke-onset on the autonomic nervous system was investigated. Heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP) and locomotive activity were monitored during development of stroke using a telemetry system. Stroke-onset was assessed by neurologic symptoms, changes in body weight, fluid intake and serum NOx level. The rat displayed a nocturnal pattern of circadian rhythms. At stroke-onset, mean HR over 24 h increased by 20 to 30 bpm and rapidly increased at post stroke, approximately 100 bpm higher than that at pre stroke. Circadian variation in HR, which was normally 50 bpm higher during night than during day, attenuated at stroke-onset, and it was blunted or reversed at post stroke. BP variation, which was approximately 7 mmHg higher at night than at day, decreased one or two days before stroke-onset and reversed at post stroke, especially in DBP. Insufficient falls in HR and BP during the day mainly accounted for the disturbed circadian variations. Variation of locomotive activity also decreased. These changes serve as reliable and accurate markers for stroke-onset in evaluation of drugs for the prevention and outcome predictions of stroke.

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PubMed1995

Outcome and time course of recovery in stroke. Part I: Outcome. The Copenhagen Stroke Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of stroke stratified according to both initial stroke severity and initial level of disability. DESIGN: Prospective, consecutive, and community based. SETTING: A stroke unit of a hospital in Denmark. This setting receives all acute stroke patients admitted from a well-defined catchment area of 239,886 inhabitants within the City of Copenhagen. Acute treatment as well as all stages of rehabilitation are cared for within the stroke unit regardless of age, stroke severity, and premorbid condition. PATIENTS: 1197 patients with acute stroke. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome was measured as death, discharge to nursing home, or to own home. Secondary outcome was measured as neurological deficits and functional disabilities after completed rehabilitation and again 6 months after stroke onset, using the Scandinavian Neurological Stroke Scale and the Barthel Index. RESULTS: Stroke was initially very severe in 223 (19%) of the patients, severe in 171 (14%), moderate in 316 (26%), and mild in 487 (41%) patients. Two hundred and fifty (21%) patients died during hospital stay, 177 (15%) were discharged to nursing home, and 770 (64%) patients were discharged to their own home. After completed rehabilitation, 11% of survivors still had severe or very severe neurological deficits, 11% had moderate deficits, and 78% had no or only mild deficits; 20% were severely or very severely disabled, 8% were moderately disabled, 26% were mildly disabled, and 46% had no disability in activities of daily living. Detailed information on outcome stratified according to initial stroke severity/disability also is presented. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a thorough description of the needs for stroke rehabilitation in the community and the amount of postrehabilitation disability in stroke survivors. For outcome prediction, the results can be used as a reliable tool for prognostication of the chances (or risks) of various outcomes in patients characterized by initial degree of stroke severity and/or functional disability using simple, reliable scores in the acute phase of stroke. However, the results should not be used as a guideline for selecting patients for rehabilitation in the acute phase because even the most severe cases regularly experience meaningful improvement during rehabilitation.

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PubMed1995

Recurrent stroke after transient ischaemic attack or minor ischaemic stroke: does the distinction between small and large vessel disease remain true to type? Dutch TIA Trial Study Group.

The incidence and vascular type of recurrent ischaemic stroke was studied in patients with supratentorial transient ischaemic attacks or non-disabling ischaemic strokes, who were treated with aspirin (30 or 283 mg). Patients were divided into groups with small vessel disease (SVD) (n = 1216) or large vessel disease (LVD) (n = 1221) on the grounds of their clinical features and CT at baseline. Patients with evidence of both SVD and LVD (n = 180) were excluded from further analyses. During follow up (mean 2.6 years) annual stroke rate was 3.6% in both groups. Of the 107 patients with SVD at baseline who had recurrent strokes, 83 proved to have an identifiable infarct: 30 (28%) again had a small vessel infarct, 39 (36%) had a large vessel ischaemic stroke and in 14 (13%) the recurrent ischaemic stroke was in the posterior fossa. Of the 110 patients with LVD at baseline and recurrent stroke, 91 had an identifiable infarct: 67 (61%) again had a large vessel ischaemic stroke, 16 (15%) had a small vessel ischaemic stroke, and eight (7%) had the recurrent ischaemic stroke in the posterior fossa. Thus patients with a transient ischaemic attack or non-disabling ischaemic stroke caused by LVD were more likely to have an ischaemic stroke of the same vessel type during follow up than patients with SVD (relative risk 2.2; 95% confidence interval 1.5-3.4). Possible explanations for this difference are: (1) patients with a small vessel ischaemic stroke at baseline had both SVD and LVD or were misdiagnosed; (2) recurrent small vessel ischaemic stroke may have occurred more often than reported, because they were silent or only minimally disabling; (3) recurring large vessel ischaemic strokes occurring in patients initially diagnosed as having SVD might have been related to potential cardiac sources of emboli that had not been previously recognized; (4) the antiplatelet drug aspirin (30 or 283 mg) prescribed in this patient group may have prevented thrombosis in small vessels better than in large vessels.

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PubMed1994

Silent infarction in acute stroke patients. Prevalence, localization, risk factors, and clinical significance: the Copenhagen Stroke Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Our objective was to study age-specific prevalence, computed tomographic (CT) characteristics, risk factors, and the prognostic influence on stroke outcome of silent infarction in acute stroke patients. METHODS: The study was prospective and community-based and included 801 acute stroke patients, of whom 587 had first-ever stroke. A CT scan was performed in 500 (85%) of the 587 patients with first-ever stroke. CT was reviewed blindly, and infarcts were classified according to patient history as silent or symptomatic. Patients were evaluated initially with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and weekly with both the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) and the Barthel Index (BI) from the onset of stroke to completion of rehabilitation. CT characteristics, risk factors, and stroke outcome were compared in stroke patients with and without silent infarction. RESULTS: The prevalence of silent infarction in patients with first-ever stroke and recurrent strokes was similar, at 29% (group aged 0 to 54 years, 16%; 55 to 64 years, 22%; 65 to 74 years, 30%; 75 years or older, 33%). Silent infarcts were small and subcortical. Independent risk factors were increasing age (odds ratio [OR], 1.95 per 25 years; confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 3.15), hypertension (OR, 1.75; CI, 1.13 to 2.70), claudication (OR, 1.74; CI, 1.01 to 3.00), and male sex (OR, 1.72; CI, 1.12 to 2.64); other stroke risk factors such as atrial fibrillation and former transient ischemic attack were not independent risk factors. Patients with and without silent infarction did not differ in frequency of prestroke home care (P = .2). MMSE (P = .56), initial BI (P = .62) and SSS score (P = .08), BI (P = .85) and SSS score (P = .75) after completion of rehabilitation, or in the speed of recovery (P = .85). Length of hospital stay, mortality rate, and discharge rate to nursing home also did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This community-based study shows that silent infarction in stroke patients is more related to certain stroke risk factors than others and that silent infarction does not seem to influence the prognosis of stroke.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1995

Quality of life after stroke. Impact of stroke type and lesion location.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Little attention has been focused on the relationship between neurological lesions and quality of life (QL) in stroke research. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of stroke types and lesion locations on QL. METHODS: The study sample was composed of 441 stroke patients. Lesion locations and stroke types were divided into 194 left-sided and 173 right-sided lesions, 61 infratentorial strokes (55 infarctions and 6 hemorrhages), and 335 supratentorial strokes (204 [sub]cortical infarctions, 82 lacunar infarctions, and 49 hemorrhages). Six months after stroke, QL was assessed with the Sickness Impact Profile. Age-adjusted QL scores were expressed in standard scores. RESULTS: Although patients with left-sided lesions had more speech pathology (P < .001), there was slightly more QL deterioration in patients with right-sided lesions. Patients with infratentorial strokes reported better overall functioning than patients with supratentorial strokes (P = .02). Patients with lacunar infarction had less dysfunction compared to patients with (sub)cortical lesions (P < .001). There was no difference in QL between supratentorial (sub)cortical infarcts and hemorrhages. Lesion locations and stroke types did not affect patients' emotional distress. Severely impaired QL patterns were related significantly to older age (P < .001), comorbidity (P = .02), stroke severity (P < .001), and supratentorial lesions (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: There is only a weak relationship between lesion laterality and QL. Survivors of hemorrhagic strokes do not evidence more QL impairment than survivors of ischemic strokes. Stroke per se is not unequivocally followed by emotional discomfort. In addition to stroke type, patient and clinical characteristics are also important in explaining impaired QL patterns.

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PubMed1997

Stroke rates during the 1980s. The Minnesota Stroke Survey.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The decline in stroke mortality it the United States may have resulted from declining incidence improved survival of stroke patients, or both. We previously reported that stroke patients who were 30 to 74 years old and were treated in Minneapolis/St Paul hospitals in 1990 survived longer than did their counterparts in 1980. In the present study, we examined trends in the rate of hospitalized stroke in Minneapolis/ St Paul between 1980 and 1990. METHODS: For 1980, 1985, and 1990, we obtained lists of discharge codes (International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision) from Minneapolis/St Paul hospitals, identified hospitalizations for acute cerebrovascular disease, and randomly selected 50% of the cases for medical record abstraction. We counted stroke events in five different ways, which were based on discharge codes as well as diagnostic criteria, and computed age adjusted stroke rates for each year. Stroke mortality in the population was computed for 1960 through 1994. RESULTS: Among men, all five measures of hospitalized stroke attack rate indicated a decline between 1980 and 1985, which ranged from 5% to > 20%. Among women, there was a sharp contrast between trends that relied on discharge codes and trends that relied on diagnostic criteria: the former indicated a decline (4% to 19%), whereas the latter indicated some increase. For the second half of the 1980s, most measures of stroke attack rate in men, all measures of stroke attack rate in women, and measures of stroke incidence in both sexes did not indicate a decline in stroke occurrence in the population. Mortality from stroke among 30- to 74-year-old residents of Minneapolis/St Paul, which declined rapidly during the 1970s and early 1980s, declined slowly, if at all, during the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of stroke may have declined among 30- to 74-year-old residents of Minneapolis/St Paul in the early 1980s. However, we found little indication of such a trend between 1985 and 1990, a period of slow decline or no decline in stroke mortality in that population.

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PubMed1997

Acute stroke care and rehabilitation: an analysis of the direct cost and its clinical and social determinants. The Copenhagen Stroke Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke represents a major economic challenge to society. The direct cost of stroke is largely determined by the duration of hospital stay, but internationally applicable estimates of the direct cost of acute stroke care and rehabilitation on cost-efficient stroke units are not available. Information regarding social and medical factors influencing the length of hospital stay (LOHS) and thereby cost is needed to direct cost-reducing efforts. METHODS: We determined the direct cost of stroke in the prospective, consecutive, and community-based stroke population of the Copenhagen Stroke Study by measuring the total LOHS in the 1197 acute stroke patients included in the study. All patients had all their acute care and rehabilitation on a dedicated stroke unit. Neurological impairment was measured by the Scandinavian Stroke Scale. Local nonmedical factors affecting the LOHS, such as waiting time for discharge to a nursing home after completed rehabilitation, were accounted for in the analysis. The influence of social and medical factors on the LOHS was analyzed in a multiple linear regression model. RESULTS: The average LOHS was 27.1 days (SD, 44.1; range, 1 to 193), corresponding to a direct cost of $12.150 per patient including all acute care and rehabilitation. The LOHS increased with increasing stroke severity (6 days per 10-point increase in severity; P < .0001) and single marital status (3.4 days; P = .02). Death reduced LOHS (22.0 days; P < .0001). Age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, claudication, ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, former stroke, other disabling comorbidity, smoking, daily alcohol consumption, and the type of stroke (hemorrhage/infarct) had no independent influence on LOHS. CONCLUSIONS: Acute care and rehabilitation of unselected patients on a dedicated stroke unit takes on average 4 weeks. In general, comorbidity such as diabetes or heart disease does not increase LOHS. Efforts to reduce costs should therefore aim at reducing initial stroke severity or improving the rate of recovery.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1998

Risk factors for stroke and type of stroke in persons with isolated systolic hypertension. Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program Cooperative Research Group.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We sought to determine risk factors for stroke and stroke type in persons with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). METHODS: We performed proportional hazards analyses of data from the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program, a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 4736 persons aged > or =60 years with ISH (systolic blood pressure, 160 to 219 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure, <90 mm Hg). One treatment group received chlorthalidone (12.5 to 25 mg/d) with step-up to atenolol (25.0 to 50.0 mg/d) or reserpine (0.05 to 0.10 mg/d), if needed. The other treatment group received matching placebo. The main outcome measures were stroke, stroke or transient ischemic attack [TIA], and stroke types: ischemic (including lacunar, atherosclerotic, and embolic) and hemorrhagic. RESULTS: During an average follow-up of 4.5 years, 384 strokes or TIAs and 262 strokes (including 217 ischemic, 66 lacunar, 26 atherosclerotic, and 25 embolic strokes) were documented. In multivariate analyses, placebo treatment, older age, smoking, history of diabetes, higher systolic blood pressure, lower HDL cholesterol, and ECG abnormality were significantly associated (P<0.05) with increased incidence of stroke or TIA, stroke, or ischemic stroke. Greater lacunar stroke risk was significantly related to placebo treatment, older age, history of diabetes (relative risk [RR] = 3.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.70 to 5.40), and smoking (RR = 3.04; 95% CI, 1.73 to 5.37). Greater atherosclerotic and embolic stroke risk were significantly related to presence of carotid bruit (RR = 5.75; 95% CI, 2.50 to 13.24) and older age (RR = 1.65 per 5 years; 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.18), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In older persons with ISH, history of diabetes and smoking are important risk factors for lacunar stroke, whereas carotid bruit and age are important risk factors for atherosclerotic and embolic stroke, respectively.

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PubMed1998

Prediction of functional outcome after stroke: comparison of the Orpington Prognostic Scale and the NIH Stroke Scale.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This study compared the ability of 2 stroke impairment scales, Orpington Prognostic Scale and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Scale, to predict disability as measured by the Barthel activities of daily living (ADL) Index and higher level of self-reported physical functioning as measured by the SF-36 physical functioning index (PFI) at 1, 3, and 6 months after stroke. METHODS: The participants in this ongoing study are 184 individuals who sustained an eligible stroke and were recruited for the Kansas City Stroke Study. All patients were prospectively evaluated using standardized assessments at enrollment (within 14 days of stroke onset) and followed at 1, 3, and 6 months after stroke. Coefficient of determination (R2) was used to assess the ability of the 2 stroke scales to prognosticate outcomes. RESULTS: Means and SDs of the Orpington Prognostic Scale and NIH Stroke Scale measured at baseline were 3.6+/-1.31 and 5.5+/-4.58, respectively. The Spearman's rank correlation between the 2 baseline measures was 0.83 (P=0.0001). The Orpington Prognostic Scale and the NIH Stroke Scale explained well the variance in Barthel ADL Index (P<0.001). However, the Orpington Prognostic Scale explained more variance than did the NIH Stroke Scale. Similarly, the Orpington Prognostic Score explained more variance in higher level of physical function than did the NIH Stroke Scale. The amount of variance in Barthel ADL Index and SF-36 PFI, which were explained by both stroke severity measures, decreased over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that in a sample of mostly mild and moderate strokes, the Orpington Prognostic Scale compared with the NIH Stroke Scale is simpler to use and is a slightly better predictor of ADL and higher levels of physical function.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1999

Use of nursing home after stroke and dependence on stroke severity: a population-based analysis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There are few population-based data available regarding nursing home use after stroke. This study clarifies the use of a nursing home after stroke, as well as its dependence on stroke severity, in a defined population. METHODS: All first stroke events among residents of Rochester, Minn, during 1987-1989 were ascertained, subtyped, and assigned Rankin disability scores (RS) before the event, at maximal deficit, and at specified intervals after stroke. Persons were followed from the date of stroke event to death, emigration from Rochester, or December 31, 1994, in complete community-based medical records and Minnesota Case Mix Review Program data tapes to determine nursing home residency before stroke and at 90 days and 1 year after stroke, proportion of survival days in a nursing home, and cumulative risk of admission to a nursing home. RESULTS: There were 251 cases of first cerebral infarction, 24 intracerebral hemorrhages, and 15 subarachnoid hemorrhages among residents of Rochester during 1987-1989. The maximal deficit RS was 1 or 2 for 62 (25%), RS 3 for 72 (29%), and RS 4 or 5 for 117 (47%) of the cerebral infarct patients. Among patients surviving to 90 days or 1 year after cerebral infarction, 25% were in nursing home at 90 days and 22% at 1 year, respectively. Within these maximal deficit RS categories, the percentages of follow-up time spent in a nursing home during the first post-cerebral infarction year are as follows: RS 1 to 2, 4%; RS 3, 10%; and RS 4 to 5, 54%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that increasing age and RS 4 to 5 at maximal deficit were independent predictors (P<0.0001) of nursing home residency at 90 days and 1 year after stroke, whereas stroke type was not an independent predictor. At 1 year after cerebral infarction, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of proportion of people with at least 1 nursing home admission were 11% for RS 1 to 2, 22% for RS 3, and 68% for RS 4 to 5. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides unique population-based data regarding the short- and long-term use of a nursing home after stroke and its dependence on stroke severity. More than 50% of people with a severe cerebral infarction are in a nursing home 90 days and 1 year after the stroke, and by 1 year, nearly 70% will have required some nursing home stay. Age and stroke severity are independent predictors of nursing home residency after stroke.

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