European Journal of Neurology

BackgroundUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among hospitalized stroke patients, leading to increased hospital stays and patient discomfort. While its known that post-stroke infections generally worsen outcomes, specific factors contributing to UTIs after stroke remain unclear. MethodsThis study aimed to investigate the incidence of post-stroke UTI (PSUTI) in patients admitted to the Hospitals from September 2020 to June 2021. The study included patients with a suspected diagnosis of st...

Background/objectiveVarious studies have demonstrated, European data regarding ethnic disparities in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after stroke is scarce and none used patient reported outcomes measurements (PROMs). This study explores whether ethnicity predict HRQOL using PROMs and cognitive function after stroke in the Netherlands. Patients and methodsPatients admitted to the hospital with a first ever stroke were included. Outcome assessments included the Patient Reported Outcomes M...

Background and PurposeDysphagia is a common post-stroke occurrence and has been shown to impact patients morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to use a large population-based dataset to determine specific epidemiological and patient health risk factors that impact development and severity of dysphagia after acute stroke. MethodsUsing data from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study, GCNKSS, involving a representative sample of approximately 1.3 million people fro...

Background and PurposePost-stroke emotionalism is a common, under-researched neurologic symptom of stroke, characterised by frequent crying episodes not under usual social control. Currently there are no data on carer strain in the context of emotionalism after stroke. AimsTo explore the degree of carer strain in carers of individuals with diagnosed PSE compared to carers of individuals with stroke but no PSE. To examine whether carer strain varies with particular characteristics of the cared f...

IntroductionInternationally about 3% of people [≥]65 years live in Long Term Care (LTC). We examined the characteristics and outcomes of people admitted from LTC with stroke nationally and how this changed over the COVID19 pandemic. MethodsData from Irish National Audit of Stroke 2019-2023 were analysed by source of admission. An age, sex and subtype matched control group was derived from patients admitted from home. Pre-stroke and discharge modified Rankin Disability Scores (mRS) were analy...

Background and PurposeWhilst cancer is a risk factor for acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), its impact on AIS prognosis between metastatic and non-metastatic (MC and NMC) disease is poorly understood. Furthermore, the receipt of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and endovascular thrombectomy (ET) and their outcomes is poorly researched. MethodsAIS admissions from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) were included (October 2015-December 2017). Multivariable logistic regressions adjusting for a wide range...

ObjectiveTo identify and describe the factors related to the knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding emergency care for stroke among patients with risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. BackgroundHealth literacy in stroke implies the ability of non-medical individuals to recognize stroke symptoms and make timely decisions, which is a key factor influencing outcomes in patients with this condition. No previous study has evaluated the knowledge and perceptions of the general popu...

ObjectiveTo assess if taking outpatient antihypertensives prior to stroke onset influences acute stroke inpatient mortality. DesignRetrospective chart review of 417 adults admitted for acute stroke from January 2013 to December 2014. SettingSingle tertiary hospital in Zimbabwe. ParticipantsOf the 417 adult patients admitted with stroke, 40 were excluded (2 rheumatic heart disease, 10 transient ischemic attacks, and 28 incomplete documentation). MethodsStudy registry was obtained from acute s...

BackgroundRacial, gender, and socioeconomic disparities in stroke outcomes are well documented, but their impact on procedural success and clinical outcomes after endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke remains unclear. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 584 acute ischemic stroke patients who underwent EVT (2016-2023), evaluating procedural reperfusion (TICI 2B-3), stroke severity (NIHSS/mRS) at admission and discharge, functional outcomes at discharge and 90 days (mRS), discharg...

ObjectiveTo describe the safety and efficacy of risdiplam in non-sitter adult patients with 5q spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). MethodsType 2 SMA adult patients, who were not eligible for nusinersen, were offered risdiplam through the expanded access program. Patients were followed up with a battery of scales and clinical measures. ResultsSix non-sitter patients (17 - 46 years old) were treated with risdiplam. One patient reported mild adverse events (dyspepsia and headache). After one year of t...

BackgroundAustralia managed relatively well during the global COVID-19 pandemic owing to our swift mandated public health response. During the NSW lockdown restrictions, we noted a decrease in acute stroke presentations at our institution, similar to what was subsequently reported worldwide. AimsWe aimed to test our hypothesis that (i) the true numbers of ischaemic strokes did not change, however patients were presenting later and (ii) the proportion of TIAs decreased. MethodsWe conducted a re...

1.1BackgroundNusinersen has substantially increased survival and improved disease progression in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) patients. However, treatment response is heterogeneous, with some patients gaining the ability to sit and walk whilst others display less obvious changes. MethodFrom the SMA Reach UK and the Italian Telethon Network, 124 non-sitter SMA patients treated with nusinersen under 4 years were included and randomly allocated to training and testing (80/20%). Tree and regressio...

BackgroundCerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a major cause of stroke and dementia but patients often report a lack of specialist care. We aimed to identify the availability and type of care, current management practices and areas of unmet need for patients with cSVD. MethodsWe performed a literature review to identify clinical practices towards cSVD and an online international survey of health-care centres (one clinician per hospital/clinic) treating individuals with cSVD between September...

BackgroundThere is staggering evidence of stroke care disparities in Low- and Middle-Income countries compared to developed countries. Haiti like those countries suffer from lack of resources for acute stroke management. To our knowledge, we conducted the first study reporting the epidemiological profile of the Haitian population presenting with stroke symptoms in the largest academic hospital of the nation. MethodsThis is an observational study conducted over a period of five months from April...

IntroductionSystolic Blood pressure (SBP) >180mmHg following stroke thrombolysis has been associated with increased bleeding and poorer outcome. Aiming for the guideline SBP of <180mmHg often leads to SBP overshoot as treatment is only triggered if this threshold is passed. We tested whether a lower target would result in fewer high SBP protocol violations. MethodsThis is a prospective, single centre, sequential comparison of two blood pressure protocols. Between 2013 and 2017, the guideline ba...

IntroductionMobile Stroke Units (MSUs) provide faster stroke treatment with improved outcomes but are expensive and their urban and rural deployment differs. Geospatial analysis may be useful for planning optimal MSU distribution. MethodsWe geo-coded Texas state-designated level-I or II stroke centers that did not overlap catchment areas and mapped 30, 60, 120 and 180-minute drive time buffers around each center, superimposing them on the distribution of stroke patients in the state including e...

BackgroundReports of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) have emerged during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This epidemiological and cohort study sought to investigate any causative association between COVID-19 infection and GBS. MethodsThe epidemiology of GBS cases reported via the UK National Immunoglobulin Database were studied from 2016-2019 and compared to cases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the cohort study, members of the British Peripheral Nerve Society reporte...

BackgroundStroke is reported as a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, there is a lack of regarding comprehensive stroke phenotype and characteristics MethodsWe conducted a multinational observational study on features of consecutive acute ischemic stroke (AIS), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and cerebral venous or sinus thrombosis (CVST) among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. We further investigated the association of demographics, clinical data, geographical regions, and countries healt...

PurposeStroke is highly prevalent and commonly presents with pain. Primary care providers generally manage follow-up care, although ideal pain management strategies remain unclear. Treatment options include gabapentinoids, tricyclic antidepressants, and various antiseizure medications. We aim to analyze differences in hospital readmissions, a quality metric, for those initiating gabapentin in contrast to other medicines for post-stroke pain in older adults. MethodsIn this matched cohort study, ...

BackgroundThere are no known objective biomarkers for predicting Return to Work (RTW) in ischemic stroke survivors. This study aims to explore the predictive utility and define a cut-off value of lesion volume on RTW after endovascular treatment (EVT). MethodsWe included patients <65 years undergoing EVT at Oslo University Hospital (OUS) between January 2017 and May 2019. Employment status was obtained at both baseline and a four-year follow-up. Stroke lesion volumes were segmented using magnet...