Maria Luisa DeLodovici

Systemic thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke and Internal Carotid ARtery Occlusion: the ICARO study

Background and Purpose— The beneficial effect of intravenous thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke attributable to internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator in these patients. Methods— ICARO was a case-control multicenter study on prospectively collected data. Patients with acute ischemic stroke and ICA occlusion treated with intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator within 4.5 hours from symptom onset (cases) were compared to matched patients with acute stroke and ICA occlusion not treated with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (controls). Cases and controls were matched for age, gender, and stroke severity. The efficacy outcome was disability at 90 days assessed by the modified Rankin Scale, dichotomized as favorable (score of 0–2) or unfavorable (score of 3–6). Safety outcomes were death and any intracranial bleeding. Results— Included in the analysis were 253 cases and 253 controls. Seventy-three cases (28.9%) had a favorable outcome as compared with 52 controls (20.6%; adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–3.15; P=0.037). A total of 104 patients died, 65 cases (25.7%) and 39 controls (15.4%; adjusted OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.36–3.22; P=0.001). There were more fatal bleedings (2.8% versus 0.4%; OR, 7.17; 95% CI, 0.87–58.71; P=0.068) in the cases than in the controls. Conclusions— In patients with stroke attributable to ICA occlusion, thrombolytic therapy results in a significant reduction in the proportion of patients dependent in activities of daily living. Increases in death and any intracranial bleeding were the trade-offs for this clinical benefit.

Predictors of Migraine Subtypes in Young Adults With Ischemic Stroke: The Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults

Background and Purpose— The mechanisms underlying the relationship between migraine and ischemic stroke remain uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of major cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac interatrial abnormalities, and additional biological markers on migraine subtypes in young adults with ischemic stroke. Methods— Ischemic stroke patients aged 45 years or younger were consecutively enrolled as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults. A comprehensive evaluation was performed including assessment of self-reported migraine and cardiovascular risk factors, interatrial right-to-left shunt, and genotyping to detect factor V Leiden and the G20210A mutation in the prothrombin gene. Results— Nine hundred eighty-one patients (mean age, 36.0±7.6 years; 50.7% women) were included. The risk of migraine with aura increased with decreasing number of cardiovascular risk factors (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24–0.99 for 2 factors or more), increasing number of thrombophilic variants (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.05–4.68 for carriers of at least 1 of the 2), and the presence of right-to-left shunt (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.37–3.45), as compared to patients without migraine. None of these factors had influence on the risk of migraine without aura. Conclusions— In young adults with ischemic stroke, low cardiovascular risk profile, right-to-left shunt, and an underlying procoagulant state are predictors of migraine with aura. The biological effects of these factors should be considered in future studies aimed at investigating the mechanisms linking migraine to brain ischemia.

Predictors of Long-Term Recurrent Vascular Events After Ischemic Stroke at Young Age The Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults

Background— Data on long-term risk and predictors of recurrent thrombotic events after ischemic stroke at a young age are limited. Methods and Results— We followed 1867 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke who were 18 to 45 years of age (mean age, 36.8±7.1 years; women, 49.0%), as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS). Median follow-up was 40 months (25th to 75th percentile, 53). The primary end point was a composite of ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, or other arterial events. One hundred sixty-three patients had recurrent thrombotic events (average rate, 2.26 per 100 person-years at risk). At 10 years, cumulative risk was 14.7% (95% confidence interval, 12.2%–17.9%) for primary end point, 14.0% (95% confidence interval, 11.4%–17.1%) for brain ischemia, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.4%–1.3%) for myocardial infarction or other arterial events. Familial history of stroke, migraine with aura, circulating antiphospholipid antibodies, discontinuation of antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications, and any increase of 1 traditional vascular risk factor were independent predictors of the composite end point in multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. A point-scoring system for each variable was generated by their &bgr;-coefficients, and a predictive score (IPSYS score) was calculated as the sum of the weighted scores. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the 0- to 5-year score was 0.66 (95% confidence interval, 0.61–0.71; mean, 10-fold internally cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.65). Conclusions— Among patients with ischemic stroke aged 18 to 45 years, the long-term risk of recurrent thrombotic events is associated with modifiable, age-specific risk factors. The IPSYS score may serve as a simple tool for risk estimation.

Unbalanced Metalloproteinase-9 and Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases Ratios Predict Hemorrhagic Transformation of Lesion in Ischemic Stroke Patients Treated with Thrombolysis: Results from the MAGIC Study

Background Experimentally, metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a detrimental role related to the severity of ischemic brain lesions. Both MMPs activity and function in tissues reflect the balance between MMPs and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). We aimed to evaluate the role of MMPs/TIMPs balance in the setting of rtPA-treated stroke patients. Methods Blood was taken before and 24-h after rtPA from 327 patients (mean age 68 years, median NIHSS 11) with acute ischemic stroke. Delta median values of each MMP/TIMP ratio [(post rtPA MMP/TIMP-baseline MMP/TIMP)/(baseline MMP/TIMP)] were analyzed related to symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) according to NINDS criteria, relevant hemorrhagic transformation (HT) defined as confluent petechiae within the infarcted area or any parenchymal hemorrhage, stroke subtypes (according to Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project) and 3-month death. The net effect of each MMP/TIMP ratio was estimated by a logistic regression model including major clinical determinants of outcomes Results Adjusting for major clinical determinants, only increase in MMP9/TIMP1 and MMP9/TIMP2 ratios remained significantly associated with sICH (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.67 [1.17–2.38], p = 0.005; 1.74 [1.21–2.49], p = 0.003, respectively). Only relative increase in MMP9/TIMP1 ratio proved significantly associated with relevant HT (odds ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.74 [1.17–2.57], p = 0.006) with a trend toward significance for MMP9/TIMP2 ratio (p = 0.007). Discussion Our data add substantial clinical evidence about the role of MMPs/TIMPs balance in rtPA-treated stroke patients. These results may serve to generate hypotheses on MMPs inhibitors to be administered together with rtPA in order to counteract its deleterious effect.

Interaction between proatherosclerotic factors and right-to-left shunt on the risk of cryptogenic stroke: the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults

Objective To explore the interaction effects between cardiac interatrial right-to-left shunt (RLS) and proatherosclerotic factors on the risk of brain ischaemia. Design Multicentre Italian case–control study. Setting University hospitals. Participants 588 patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS) aged ≤45 years and 585 control subjects consecutively enrolled as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults. Methods Interaction effects between RLS and an individual proatherosclerotic score computed from the number of conventional vascular risk factors for the risk of CS were investigated. Data were examined by logistic regression models and expressed as interaction OR or interaction risk difference (RD). Results CS risk increased with increasing number of proatherosclerotic factors in subjects without RLS (OR 2.73; 95% CI 1.98 to 3.76; RD +0.246; 95% CI +0.17 to +0.32; for subjects with one or more factors), but was higher in subjects with RLS and no additional proatherosclerotic factors (OR 5.14; 95% CI 3.49 to 7.58; RD +0.388; 95% CI +0.31 to +0.47) compared with subjects without RLS and no risk factors. Negative interaction and antagonistic effects between RLS and proatherosclerotic factors were observed (interaction OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.91; interaction RD −0.17; 95% CI −0.29 to −0.05). Conclusions The influence of RLS on the risk of CS decreases with increasing number of atherosclerotic factors, and is highest when such factors are absent. Individual proatherosclerotic profiles may help to identify patients with CS whose patent foramen ovale is probably pathogenic.

Association between migraine and cervical artery dissection the Italian project on stroke in young adults

Importance Although sparse observational studies have suggested a link between migraine and cervical artery dissection (CEAD), any association between the 2 disorders is still unconfirmed. This lack of a definitive conclusion might have implications in understanding the pathogenesis of both conditions and the complex relationship between migraine and ischemic stroke (IS). Objective To investigate whether a history of migraine and its subtypes is associated with the occurrence of CEAD. Design, Setting, and Participants A prospective cohort study of consecutive patients aged 18 to 45 years with first-ever acute ischemic stroke enrolled in the multicenter Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults was conducted between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2015. In a case-control design, the study assessed whether the frequency of migraine and its subtypes (presence or absence of an aura) differs between patients whose IS was due to CEAD (CEAD IS) and those whose IS was due to a cause other than CEAD (non-CEAD IS) and compared the characteristics of patients with CEAD IS with and without migraine. Main Outcomes and Measures Frequency of migraine and its subtypes in patients with CEAD IS vs non-CEAD IS. Results Of the 2485 patients (mean [SD] age, 36.8 [7.1] years; women, 1163 [46.8%]) included in the registry, 334 (13.4%) had CEAD IS and 2151 (86.6%) had non-CEAD IS. Migraine was more common in the CEAD IS group (103 [30.8%] vs 525 [24.4%], P = .01), and the difference was mainly due to migraine without aura (80 [24.0%] vs 335 [15.6%], P < .001). Compared with migraine with aura, migraine without aura was independently associated with CEAD IS (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.30-2.33). The strength of this association was higher in men (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.31-3.04) and in patients 39.0 years or younger (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.22-2.71). The risk factor profile was similar in migrainous and non-migrainous patients with CEAD IS (eg, hypertension, 20 [19.4%] vs 57 [24.7%], P = .29; diabetes, 1 [1.0%] vs 3 [1.3%], P > .99). Conclusions and Relevance In patients with IS aged 18 to 45 years, migraine, especially migraine without aura, is consistently associated with CEAD. This finding suggests common features and warrants further analyses to elucidate the underlying biologic mechanisms.

Serum cholesterol levels, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors and the risk of intracerebral haemorrhage. The Multicenter Study on Cerebral Haemorrhage in Italy (MUCH-Italy)

Objective Although a concern exists that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) might increase the risk of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), the contribution of these agents to the relationship between serum cholesterol and disease occurrence has been poorly investigated. Methods We compared consecutive patients having ICH with age and sex-matched stroke-free control subjects in a case–control analysis, as part of the Multicenter Study on Cerebral Haemorrhage in Italy (MUCH-Italy), and tested the presence of interaction effects between total serum cholesterol levels and statins on the risk of ICH. Results A total of 3492 cases (mean age, 73.0±12.7 years; males, 56.6%) and 3492 control subjects were enrolled. Increasing total serum cholesterol levels were confirmed to be inversely associated with ICH. We observed a statistical interaction between total serum cholesterol levels and statin use for the risk of haemorrhage (Interaction OR (IOR), 1.09; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.12). Increasing levels of total serum cholesterol were associated with a decreased risk of ICH within statin strata (average OR, 0.87; 95% CI 0.86 to 0.88 for every increase of 0.26 mmol/l of total serum cholesterol concentrations), while statin use was associated with an increased risk (OR, 1.54; 95% CI 1.31 to 1.81 of the average level of total serum cholesterol). The protective effect of serum cholesterol against ICH was reduced by statins in strictly lobar brain regions more than in non-lobar ones. Conclusions Statin therapy and total serum cholesterol levels exhibit interaction effects towards the risk of ICH. The magnitude of such effects appears higher in lobar brain regions.

Propensity Score–Based Analysis of Percutaneous Closure Versus Medical Therapy in Patients With Cryptogenic Stroke and Patent Foramen Ovale The IPSYS Registry (Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults)

Background—We sought to compare the benefit of percutaneous closure to that of medical therapy alone for the secondary prevention of embolism in patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and otherwise unexplained ischemic stroke, in a propensity scored study. Methods and Results—Between 2000 and 2012, we selected consecutive first-ever ischemic stroke patients aged 18 to 45 years with PFO and no other cause of brain ischemia, as part of the IPSYS registry (Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults), who underwent either percutaneous PFO closure or medical therapy for comparative analysis. Primary end point was a composite of ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, or peripheral embolism. Secondary end point was brain ischemia. Five hundred and twenty-one patients qualified for the analysis. The primary end point occurred in 15 patients treated with percutaneous PFO closure (7.3%) versus 33 patients medically treated (10.5%; hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.39–1.32; P=0.285). The rates of the secondary end point brain ischemia were also similar in the 2 treatment groups (6.3% in the PFO closure group versus 10.2% in the medically treated group; hazard ratio, 0.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.33–1.21; P=0.168). Closure provided a benefit in patients aged 18 to 36 years (hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.81; P=0.026) and in those with a substantial right-to-left shunt size (hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.05–0.68; P=0.011). Conclusions—PFO closure seems as effective as medical therapy for secondary prevention of cryptogenic ischemic stroke. Whether device treatment might be more effective in selected cases, such as in patients younger than 37 years and in those with a substantial right-to-left shunt size, deserves further investigation.

Determinants of premature familial arterial thrombosis in patients with juvenile ischaemic stroke. The Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS).

Factors predicting family history (FH) of premature arterial thrombosis in young patients with ischaemic stroke (IS) have not been extensively investigated, and whether they might influence the risk of post-stroke recurrence is still unknown. In the present study we analysed 1,881 consecutive first-ever IS patients aged 18-45 years recruited from January 2000 to January 2012 as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS). FH of premature arterial thrombosis was any thrombotic event [IS, myocardial infarction or other arterial events event] < 45 years in probands first-degree relatives. Compared with patients without FH of premature arterial thrombosis, those with FH (n = 85) were more often smokers (odds ratio [OR], 1.94; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.21-3.09) and carriers of procoagulant abnormalities (OR, 3.66; 95 % CI, 2.21-6.06). Smoking (OR, 2.48; 95 % CI, 1.20-5.15), the A1691 mutation in factor V gene (OR, 3.64; 95 % CI, 1.31-10.10), and the A20210 mutation in the prothrombin gene (OR, 8.40; 95 % CI 3.35-21.05) were associated with FH of premature stroke (n = 33), while circulating anti-phospholipids to FH of premature myocardial infarction (n = 45; OR, 3.48; 95 % CI, 1.61-7.51). Mean follow-up time was 46.6 ± 38.6 months. Recurrent events occurred more frequently in the subgroup of patients with FH of premature stroke [19.4 %); p = 0.051] compared to patients without such a FH. In conclusion, young IS patients with FH of premature arterial thrombosis exhibit a distinct risk-factor profile, an underlying procoagulant state and have worse vascular prognosis than those with no FH of juvenile thrombotic events.

Predictors of Long-Term Recurrent Vascular Events After Ischemic Stroke at Young Age

Background— Data on long-term risk and predictors of recurrent thrombotic events after ischemic stroke at a young age are limited. Methods and Results— We followed 1867 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke who were 18 to 45 years of age (mean age, 36.8±7.1 years; women, 49.0%), as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS). Median follow-up was 40 months (25th to 75th percentile, 53). The primary end point was a composite of ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction, or other arterial events. One hundred sixty-three patients had recurrent thrombotic events (average rate, 2.26 per 100 person-years at risk). At 10 years, cumulative risk was 14.7% (95% confidence interval, 12.2%–17.9%) for primary end point, 14.0% (95% confidence interval, 11.4%–17.1%) for brain ischemia, and 0.7% (95% confidence interval, 0.4%–1.3%) for myocardial infarction or other arterial events. Familial history of stroke, migraine with aura, circulating antiphospholipid antibodies, discontinuation of antiplatelet and antihypertensive medications, and any increase of 1 traditional vascular risk factor were independent predictors of the composite end point in multivariable Cox proportional hazards analysis. A point-scoring system for each variable was generated by their &bgr;-coefficients, and a predictive score (IPSYS score) was calculated as the sum of the weighted scores. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the 0- to 5-year score was 0.66 (95% confidence interval, 0.61–0.71; mean, 10-fold internally cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.65). Conclusions— Among patients with ischemic stroke aged 18 to 45 years, the long-term risk of recurrent thrombotic events is associated with modifiable, age-specific risk factors. The IPSYS score may serve as a simple tool for risk estimation.