Intra- and extracranial stenoses in TIA – Findings from the Aarhus TIA-study: A prospective population-based study

SummaryBackgroundAtherosclerotic stenoses of the intracranial arteries (ICAS) is associated with high risk of stroke after TIA. The prevalence of intracranial stenoses is considered to be low in Caucasians, however population-based data are lacking and only a minority of patients with acute TIA or stroke is evaluated for ICAS.MethodsWe prospectively examined the prevalence of stenoses of the pre- and intracerebral vessels using transcranial colour coded sonography (TCCS) in a population based cohort of all TIA patients in the community of Aarhus, Denmark in the period 1.3.2007–29.2.2008.ResultsThe TIA cohort included 203 patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for TIA. We examined 195 patients with extra- and intracranial TCCD.Any stenoses and symptomatic ICAS was found in 12.3% and 8.2%, respectively. The stenoses were located in the intracranial internal carotid artery in 3.6% and 3.1%, anterior cerebral artery in 0.5% and 0%, middle cerebral artery in 4.6% and 2.6%, intracranial vertebral artery in 2.1% and 1.5%, and in the basilar artery in 1.5% and 1.5%, respectively. In comparison, we found any stenoses and symptomatic stenoses in the extracranial carotid artery in 14.4% and 10.8%, and the extracranial vertebral artery in 5.6% and 2.1% of the patients, respectively. Carotid occlusion was found in 3.6%, combined extra- and intracranial stenoses in 4.9%.ConclusionThe prevalence of ICAS was in this population-based TIA cohort of Caucasians comparable with the prevalence of carotid stenoses. Systematic evaluation for intracranial stenoses should be considered in all patients with acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease

Use of reperfusion therapy and time delay in patients with ischaemic stroke by immigration status:a register-based cohort study in Denmark

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Reperfusion therapy is the mainstay of treatment for acute ischaemic stroke (AIS); however, little is known about the use of reperfusion therapy and time delay amongst immigrants. METHODS: This is a Danish nationwide register‐based cohort study of patients with AIS aged ≥18 years (n = 49,817) recruited from 2009 to 2018. Use of reperfusion therapy (intravenous thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy) and time delay between immigrants and Danish‐born residents were compared using multivariable logistics and quantile regression. RESULTS: Overall, 10,649 (39.8%) Danish‐born residents and 452 (39.0%) immigrants with AIS were treated with reperfusion therapy in patients arriving <4.5 h following stroke onset. Compared with Danish‐born residents, immigrants had lower odds of receiving reperfusion therapy after adjustment for prehospital delay, age, sex, stroke severity, sociodemographic factors and comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio 0.67; 95% confidence interval 0.49‒0.92, p = 0.01). The lowest odds were observed amongst immigrants originating from Poland and non‐Western countries. Similarly, immigrants had a longer prehospital delay than Danish‐born residents in the fully adjusted model in patients arriving <4.5 h after stroke onset (15 min; 95% confidence interval 4‒26 min, p = 0.03). No evidence was found that system delay and clinical outcome differed between immigrants and Danish‐born residents in patients eligible for reperfusion therapy after adjustment for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Immigration status was significantly associated with lower chances of receiving reperfusion therapy and there may be differences in patient delay between immigrants and Danish‐born residents in patients arriving to a stroke unit <4.5 h after stroke onset

Pain Following Stroke: A Population-Based Follow-Up Study

Background and Purpose: Chronic pain is increasingly recognized as a consequence of stroke. This study aimed to describe the prevalence and pain types of new onset chronic pain (‘‘novel pain’’) in patients with stroke compared with a randomly selected reference group from the general population and to identify factors associated with pain development in stroke patients. Methods: In a population-based follow-up design, development of chronic pain after stroke was assessed by a questionnaire sent to consecutive stroke patients, registered in a Danish national stroke database, two years after their stroke. A randomly selected sex- and age-matched reference group from the same catchment area received a similar questionnaire about development of new types of chronic pain in the same time period. A total of 608 stroke patients and 519 reference subjects were included in the study. Results: Development of novel pain was reported by 39.0 % of stroke patients and 28.9 % of reference subjects (OR 1.57, CI 1.21-2.04), and was associated with low age and depression in a multivariate model. Daily intake of pain medication for novel pain was reported by 15.3 % and 9.4 % of the stroke and reference population, respectively. Novel headache, shoulder pain, pain from increased muscle stiffness, and other types of novel pain were more common in stroke patients, whereas joint pain was equally common in the two groups. Conclusions: Development of chronic pain is more common in stroke patients compared with sex- and age-matched reference subjects. Evaluation of post-stroke pain should be part of stroke follow-up