New-Onset Cardiovascular Complications Common After Stroke

THURSDAY, March 31, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- New-onset cardiovascular complications diagnosed after ischemic stroke are common and are associated with worse long-term prognosis, according to a study published online March 31 in Stroke.

Benjamin J.R. Buckley, Ph.D., from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study using anonymized electronic medical records from 53 health care organizations for 365,383 patients with ischemic stroke to examine the incidence and long-term clinical outcomes of newly diagnosed cardiovascular complications during five years of follow-up.

Of the patients with stroke, 11.1, 8.8, 6.4, 1.2, and 0.1 percent developed acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation/flutter, heart failure, severe ventricular arrhythmias, and Takotsubo syndrome, respectively. The researchers found that the odds of five-year all-cause mortality were significantly higher in stroke patients with acute coronary syndrome, atrial fibrillation/flutter, heart failure, and severe ventricular arrhythmias compared with propensity score-matched controls (odds ratios, 1.49, 1.45, 1.83, and 2.08, respectively). Patients with stroke diagnosed with new-onset cardiovascular complications also had significantly higher odds of five-year rehospitalization and acute myocardial infarction. The odds of five-year composite major adverse cardiovascular events were significantly higher in association with Takotsubo syndrome (odds ratio, 1.89). The only new-onset cardiac complication associated with higher odds of recurrent ischemic stroke at five years was atrial fibrillation/flutter (odds ratio, 1.10).

"We are working on additional research to determine how stroke-heart syndrome may be better predicted," Buckley said in a statement. "We also need to develop and implement treatments to improve outcomes for people with stroke-heart syndrome."

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and health care companies, including TriNetX, which funded the study.

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