OBJECTIVEA prior meta-analysis of reports published between 2000 and 2008 found that women were 30% less likely to receive IV recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) treatment for stroke than ...men; we updated this meta-analysis to determine if this sex difference persisted.
METHODSWe identified studies that reported sex-specific IV rtPA treatment rates for acute ischemic stroke published between 2008 and 2018. Eligible studies included representative populations of patients with ischemic stroke from hospital-based, registry-based, or administrative data. Random effects odds ratios (ORs) were generated to quantify sex differences.
RESULTSTwenty-four eligible studies were identified during this 10-year period. The summary unadjusted OR based on 17 studies with data on all ischemic stroke patients was 0.87 (95% confidence interval CI, 0.82–0.93), indicating that women had 13% lower odds of receiving IV rtPA treatment than men. However, substantial between-study variability existed. Lower treatment odds in women were also observed in 7 studies that provided data on the subgroup of patients eligible for IV rtPA treatment, although the summary OR of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.88–1.02) was not statistically significant. Examination of time trends across 33 studies published between 2000 and 2018 found evidence that the sex difference had narrowed in more recent years.
CONCLUSIONSAlthough there is considerable variability in the findings of individual studies, pooled data from recent studies show that women with acute stroke are less likely to be treated with IV thrombolysis compared with men. However, the size of this difference has narrowed compared to studies published before 2008.
Stroke mortality has been declining since the early 20th century. The reasons for this are not completely understood, although the decline is welcome. As a result of recent striking and more ...accelerated decreases in stroke mortality, stroke has fallen from the third to the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. This has prompted a detailed assessment of the factors associated with the change in stroke risk and mortality. This statement considers the evidence for factors that have contributed to the decline and how they can be used in the design of future interventions for this major public health burden.
Writing group members were nominated by the committee chair and co-chair on the basis of their previous work in relevant topic areas and were approved by the American Heart Association Stroke Council's Scientific Statements Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association Manuscript Oversight Committee. The writers used systematic literature reviews, references to published clinical and epidemiological studies, morbidity and mortality reports, clinical and public health guidelines, authoritative statements, personal files, and expert opinion to summarize evidence and to indicate gaps in current knowledge. All members of the writing group had the opportunity to comment on this document and approved the final version. The document underwent extensive American Heart Association internal peer review, Stroke Council leadership review, and Scientific Statements Oversight Committee review before consideration and approval by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee.
The decline in stroke mortality over the past decades represents a major improvement in population health and is observed for both sexes and for all racial/ethnic and age groups. In addition to the overall impact on fewer lives lost to stroke, the major decline in stroke mortality seen among people <65 years of age represents a reduction in years of potential life lost. The decline in mortality results from reduced incidence of stroke and lower case-fatality rates. These significant improvements in stroke outcomes are concurrent with cardiovascular risk factor control interventions. Although it is difficult to calculate specific attributable risk estimates, efforts in hypertension control initiated in the 1970s appear to have had the most substantial influence on the accelerated decline in stroke mortality. Although implemented later, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia control and smoking cessation programs, particularly in combination with treatment of hypertension, also appear to have contributed to the decline in stroke mortality. The potential effects of telemedicine and stroke systems of care appear to be strong but have not been in place long enough to indicate their influence on the decline. Other factors had probable effects, but additional studies are needed to determine their contributions.
The decline in stroke mortality is real and represents a major public health and clinical medicine success story. The repositioning of stroke from third to fourth leading cause of death is the result of true mortality decline and not an increase in mortality from chronic lung disease, which is now the third leading cause of death in the United States. There is strong evidence that the decline can be attributed to a combination of interventions and programs based on scientific findings and implemented with the purpose of reducing stroke risks, the most likely being improved control of hypertension. Thus, research studies and the application of their findings in developing intervention programs have improved the health of the population. The continued application of aggressive evidence-based public health programs and clinical interventions is expected to result in further declines in stroke mortality.
Post-stroke depression is a disabling condition that occurs in approximately one-third of stroke survivors. There is limited information on changes in depressive symptoms shortly after stroke ...survivors return home. To identify factors associated with changes in post-stroke depressive symptoms during the early recovery period, we conducted a secondary analysis of patients enrolled in a clinical trial conducted during the transition period shortly after patients returned home (MISTT).
The Michigan Stroke Transitions Trial (MISTT) tested the efficacy of social worker case management and access to online information to improve patient-reported outcomes following an acute stroke. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores were collected via telephone interviews conducted at 7 and 90 days post-discharge; higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms. Generalized estimating equations were used to identify independent predictors of baseline PHQ-9 score at 7 days and of changes over time to 90 days.
Of 265 patients, 193 and 185 completed the PHQ-9 survey at 7 and 90 days, respectively. The mean PHQ-9 score was 5.9 at 7 days and 5.1 at 90 days. Older age, being unmarried, and having moderate stroke severity (versus mild) were significantly associated with lower 7-day PHQ-9 scores (indicating fewer depressive symptoms). However, at 90 days, both unmarried patients and those with moderate or high stroke severity had significant increases in depressive symptoms over time.
In stroke patients who recently returned home, both marital status and stroke severity were associated with depressive symptom scores; however, the relationships were complex. Being unmarried and having higher stroke severity was associated with fewer depressive symptoms at baseline, but both factors were associated with worsening depressive symptoms over time. Identifying risk factors for changes in depressive symptoms may help guide effective management strategies during the early recovery period.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Biobanks linked to electronic health records provide rich resources for health‐related research. With improvements in administrative and informatics infrastructure, the availability and utility of ...data from biobanks have dramatically increased. In this paper, we first aim to characterize the current landscape of available biobanks and to describe specific biobanks, including their place of origin, size, and data types. The development and accessibility of large‐scale biorepositories provide the opportunity to accelerate agnostic searches, expedite discoveries, and conduct hypothesis‐generating studies of disease‐treatment, disease‐exposure, and disease‐gene associations. Rather than designing and implementing a single study focused on a few targeted hypotheses, researchers can potentially use biobanks' existing resources to answer an expanded selection of exploratory questions as quickly as they can analyze them. However, there are many obvious and subtle challenges with the design and analysis of biobank‐based studies. Our second aim is to discuss statistical issues related to biobank research such as study design, sampling strategy, phenotype identification, and missing data. We focus our discussion on biobanks that are linked to electronic health records. Some of the analytic issues are illustrated using data from the Michigan Genomics Initiative and UK Biobank, two biobanks with two different recruitment mechanisms. We summarize the current body of literature for addressing these challenges and discuss some standing open problems. This work complements and extends recent reviews about biobank‐based research and serves as a resource catalog with analytical and practical guidance for statisticians, epidemiologists, and other medical researchers pursuing research using biobanks.
Objective
To examine the association between sleep‐disordered breathing and stroke outcomes, and determine the contribution of sleep‐disordered breathing to outcome disparities in Mexican Americans.
...Methods
Ischemic stroke patients (n = 995), identified from the population‐based Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project (2010–2015), were offered participation in a sleep‐disordered breathing study including a home sleep apnea test (ApneaLink Plus). Sleep‐disordered breathing (respiratory event index ≥10) was determined soon after stroke. Neurologic, functional, cognitive, and quality of life outcomes were assessed at 90 days poststroke. Regression models were used to assess associations between sleep‐disordered breathing and outcomes, adjusted for sociodemographics, prestroke function and cognition, health‐risk behaviors, stroke severity, and vascular risk factors.
Results
Median age was 67 years (interquartile range IQR = 59–78); 62.1% were Mexican American. Median respiratory event index was 14 (IQR = 6–25); 62.8% had sleep‐disordered breathing. Sleep‐disordered breathing was associated with worse functional outcome (mean difference in activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score = 0.15, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.01–0.28) and cognitive outcome (mean difference in modified Mini‐Mental State Examination = −2.66, 95% CI = −4.85 to −0.47) but not neurologic or quality of life outcomes. Sleep‐disordered breathing accounted for 9 to 10% of ethnic differences in functional and cognitive outcome and was associated with cognitive outcome more strongly for Mexican Americans (β = −3.97, 95% CI = −6.63 to −1.31) than non‐Hispanic whites (β = −0.40, 95% CI = −4.18 to 3.39, p‐interaction = 0.15).
Interpretation
Sleep‐disordered breathing is associated with worse functional and cognitive function at 90 days poststroke. These outcomes are reasonable endpoints for future trials of sleep‐disordered breathing treatment in stroke. If effective, sleep‐disordered breathing treatment may somewhat lessen ethnic stroke outcome disparities. ANN NEUROL 2019;86:241–250
Depression is highly prevalent and persistent among survivors of stroke. It is unknown how treatment for depression among survivors of stroke has changed in the evolving context of stroke care and ...mental health care in the general US population, especially among vulnerable sociodemographic subgroups who bear higher risks for stroke and unfavorable poststroke outcomes and experience disparities in access to and quality of stroke and mental health care. The study examined temporal trends in outpatient treatment for depression among survivors of stroke in the United States between 2004 and 2017.
The study sample consisted of 10,243 adult survivors of stroke and 264,645 adults without stroke drawn from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative survey in the United States. Trends in outpatient treatment for depression and potential unmet needs in the stroke population, including variations across sociodemographic subgroups, were examined and compared with the nonstroke population.
The rate of receipt of outpatient treatment for depression among survivors of stroke was 17.7% in 2004-2005 and 16.0% in 2016-2017 (adjusted odds ratio for period change aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.71-1.15). Older, male, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic survivors of stroke were less likely to receive treatment for depression. Approximately two-thirds of survivors of stroke who screened positive for depression received no outpatient treatment during a calendar year. The sociodemographic disparities and treatment gap persisted during the study period, which differed from the nonstroke population. Among survivors of stroke who received any treatment for depression, there was a remarkable increase in use of psychotherapy (aOR 2.26, 95% CI 1.28-4.01), despite its less frequent use compared with pharmacotherapy.
Although depression is common after stroke, the majority of survivors of stroke receive no treatment for depression. This gap has remained largely unchanged over past decades, with substantial sociodemographic differences. Efforts are needed to improve depression care for survivors of stroke and reduce disparities.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE—Limited data are available about the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and recurrent stroke and mortality, especially from population-based studies, large ...samples, or ethnically diverse populations.
METHODS—In the BASIC project (Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christ), we identified patients with ischemic stroke (2010–2015). Subjects were offered screening for SDB with the ApneaLink Plus device, from which a respiratory event index (REI) score ≥10 defined SDB. Demographics and baseline characteristics were determined from chart review and interview. Recurrent ischemic stroke was identified through active and passive surveillance. Cause-specific proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between REI (modeled linearly) and ischemic stroke recurrence (as the event of interest), and all-cause poststroke mortality, adjusted for multiple potential confounders.
RESULTS—Among 842 subjects, the median age was 65 (interquartile range, 57–76), 47% were female, and 58% were Mexican American. The median REI score was 14 (interquartile range, 6–26); 63% had SDB. SDB was associated with male sex, Mexican American ethnicity, being insured, nonsmoking status, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, lower educational attainment, and higher body mass index. Among Mexican American and non-Hispanic whites, 85 (11%) ischemic recurrent strokes and 104 (13%) deaths occurred, with a median follow-up time of 591 days. In fully adjusted models, REI was associated with recurrent ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 1.02 hazard ratio for one-unit higher REI score, 95% CI, 1.01–1.03), but not with mortality alone (hazard ratio, 1.00 95% CI, 0.99–1.02).
CONCLUSIONS—Results from this large population-based study show that SDB is associated with recurrent ischemic stroke, but not mortality. SDB may therefore represent an important modifiable risk factor for poor stroke outcomes.
OBJECTIVESWe examined whether language preference was associated with 90-day poststroke outcomes among Mexican American (MA) patients. METHODSPatients with ischemic stroke and intracerebral ...hemorrhage from the population-based Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi project (2009-2018) were compared by language preference in 90-day neurologic, functional, and cognitive outcomes using weighted Tobit regression. Models were adjusted for demographics, initial NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS), medical history, stroke characteristics, and insurance status. RESULTSOf 1,096 stroke patients, 926 were English-speaking and 170 were Spanish-only-speaking. Spanish speakers were older (p < 0.01), received less education (p < 0.01), had higher initial NIHSS values (p = 0.02), had higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (p < 0.01), and had lower prevalence of smoking (p = 0.01) than English speakers. In fully adjusted models, Spanish-only speakers had worse neurologic outcome (NIHSS, range 0-44 higher worse, mean difference: 1.93, p < 0.01) but no difference in functional outcome measured by activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living or cognitive outcome compared with English speakers. DISCUSSIONThis population-based study found worse neurologic but similar functional and cognitive stroke outcomes among Spanish-only-speaking MA patients compared with English-speaking MA patients.
The National Institutes of Health has advocated for improved minority participation in clinical research, including clinical trials and observational epidemiologic studies since 1993. An ...understanding of Mexican Americans (MAs) participation in clinical research is important for tailoring recruitment strategies and enrollment techniques for MAs. However, contemporary data on MA participation in observational clinical stroke studies are rare. We examined differences between Mexican Americans (MAs) and non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) participation in a population-based stroke study.
We included 3,594 first ever stroke patients (57.7% MAs, 48.7% women, median IQR age 68 58-79) from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project, 2009-2020 in Texas, USA, who were approached and invited to participate in a structured baseline interview. We defined participation as completing a baseline interview by patient or proxy. We used log-binomial models adjusting for prespecified potential confounders to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) of participation comparing MAs with NHWs. We tested interactions of ethnicity with age or sex to examine potential effect modification in the ethnic differences in participation. We also included an interaction between year and ethnicity to examine ethnic-specific temporal trends in participation.
Baseline participation was 77.0% in MAs and 64.2% in NHWs (Prevalence Ratio PR 1.20; 95% CI, 1.14-1.25). The ethnic difference remained after multivariable adjustment (1.17; 1.12-1.23), with no evidence of significant effect modification by age or sex (P
= 0.68, P
= 0.83). Participation increased over time for both ethnic groups (P
< 0.0001), but the differences in participation between MAs and NHWs remained significantly different throughout the 11-year time period.
MAs were persistently more likely to participate in a population-based stroke study in a predominantly MA community despite limited outreach efforts towards MAs during study enrollment. This finding holds hope for future research studies to be inclusive of the MA population.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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