Simona Ferioli

Food deserts (FDs) are low-income areas with poor access to healthy foods. FD residents have higher rates of several cardiovascular risk factors, but the link between FDs and stroke has not been well studied. We evaluated whether FD residence was associated with incident ischemic stroke within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study (GCNKSS) and whether this association was due to low income, poor food access, or both. All hospitalized stroke cases in the GCNK region were ascertained during calendar year 2015 using ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes for screening and confirmed by physician review. Patient home addresses were geocoded using Decentralized Geomarker Assessment for Multi-Site Studies. FD locations were obtained from the US Department of Agriculture Food Access Research Atlas, defined as census tracts with both poor food access and low income according to established definitions based on proximity to healthy food sources as well as area poverty rates and median household income. Population estimates were obtained from the 2015 5-year American Community Survey. Poisson regression models were used to calculate census tract-level incidence rates by FD status, as well as by food access and income categories, adjusting for age, sex, race, and income-by-access interaction. A total of 1,802 first-ever ischemic stroke incidents occurred in the region during the study period. Stroke patients had a mean age of 69.7 years, and 53% were female. In unadjusted models, FD residence (vs non-FD) was associated with higher stroke incidence (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.23; 95% CI 1.06-1.42; p < 0.01). After adjustment for age, sex, and race, this relationship was attenuated and no longer statistically significant (IRR 1.11; 95% CI 0.96-1.30; p = 0.17). In a model where FD status was replaced by area income and food access (i.e., the 2 components of the FD definition), low income was associated with greater stroke incidence after full adjustment (IRR 1.21; 95% CI 1.05-1.39; p = 0.01) while poor food access was not (IRR 0.91; 95% CI 0.81-1.01; p = 0.08). FD residents are at increased stroke risk, and this is primarily due to low area income rather than poor food access. Alternative measures of the food environment may help elucidate the links between income, dietary patterns, and stroke risk.

Background: Limited data exist regarding differences in ischemic stroke care across the care continuum between patients with and without prestroke disability. We investigated differences in in‐hospital and postdischarge ischemic stroke cause evaluation and treatment between patients with and without prestroke disability using population‐based data in the United States. Methods: We ascertained all adult patients (≥18 years) hospitalized with acute ischemic stroke within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky population between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2015. We used univariate analyses and logistic regression to compare differences in acute ischemic stroke reperfusion therapies, stroke cause evaluation, prescription of secondary stroke prevention treatments, and rehabilitation between patients with prestroke disability (modified Rankin Scale score ≥2) and those without prestroke disability (modified Rankin Scale score 0–1). Results: Of 2476 ischemic stroke patients, 1326 (53%) had prestroke disability. Prestroke disability was associated with lower odds of receiving thrombolysis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.43 [95% CI, 0.28–0.68], P P P P P <0.01). Conclusion: Further research into factors driving medical decision‐making for patients with prestroke disability is needed to optimize the entire spectrum of ischemic stroke care for this population.

Few studies have examined trends and disparities in long-term outcome after stroke in a representative US population. We used a population-based stroke study in the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky region to examine trends and racial disparities in poststroke 5-year mortality. All patients with acute ischemic strokes (AISs) and intracerebral hemorrhages (ICHs) among residents ≥20 years old were ascertained using ICD codes and physician-adjudicated using a consistent case definition during 5 periods: July 1993-June 1994 and calendar years 1999, 2005, 2010, and 2015. Race was obtained from the medical record; only those identified as White or Black were included. Premorbid functional status was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale, with a score of 0-1 being considered "good." Mortality was assessed with the National Death Index. Trends and racial disparities for each subtype were analyzed with logistic regression. We identified 8,428 AIS cases (19.3% Black, 56.3% female, median age 72) and 1,501 ICH cases (23.5% Black, 54.8% female, median age 72). Among patients with AIS, 5-year mortality improved after adjustment for age, race, and sex (53% in 1993/94 to 48.3% in 2015, overall effect of study year p = 0.009). The absolute decline in 5-year mortality in patients with AIS was larger than what would be expected in the general population (5.1% vs 2.8%). Black individuals were at a higher risk of death after AIS (odds ratio [OR] 1.23, 95% CI 1.08-1.39) even after adjustment for age and sex, and this effect was consistent across study years. When premorbid functional status and comorbidities were included in the model, the primary effect of Black race was attenuated but race interacted with sex and premorbid functional status. Among male patients with a good baseline functional status, Black race remained associated with 5-year mortality (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.7, p = 0.002). There were no changes in 5-year mortality after ICH over time (64.4% in 1993/94 to 69.2% in 2015, overall effect of study year p = 0.32). Long-term survival improved after AIS but not after ICH. Black individuals, particularly Black male patients with good premorbid function, have a higher mortality after AIS, and this disparity did not change over time.

BACKGROUND: As stroke endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) treatment indications expand, understanding population-based EVT eligibility becomes critical for resource planning. We aimed to project current and future population-based EVT eligibility in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a post hoc analysis of the physician-adjudicated GCNKSS (Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study; 2015 epoch), a population-based, cross sectional, observational study of stroke incidence, treatment, and outcomes across a 5-county region. All hospitalized patients ≥18 years of age with acute ischemic stroke were ascertained using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes 430-436 and Tenth Revision codes I60-I67 and G45-G46 and extrapolated to the US adult census 2020. We determined the rate of EVT eligibility within the GCNKSS population using time from last known well to presentation (0–5 versus 5–23 hours), presenting National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and prestroke modified Rankin Scale. Both conservative and liberal estimates of prevalence of large vessel occlusion and large core were then applied based on literature review (unavailable within the 2015 GCNKSS). This eligibility was then extrapolated to the 2020 US population. RESULTS: Of the 1 057 183 adults within GCNKSS in 2015, 2741 had an ischemic stroke and 2176 had data available for analysis. We calculated that 8659 to 17 219 patients (conservative to liberal) meet the current guideline-recommended EVT criteria (nonlarge core, no prestroke disability, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥6) in the United States. Estimates (conservative to liberal) for expanded EVT eligibility subpopulations include (1) 5316 to 10 635 by large core; (2) 10 635 to 21 270 by mild presenting deficits with low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score; (3) 13 572 to 27 089 by higher prestroke disability; and (4) 7039 to 14 180 by >1 criteria. These expanded eligibility subpopulations amount to 36 562 to 73 174 patients. CONCLUSIONS: An estimated 8659 to 17 219 adult patients in the United States met strict EVT eligibility criteria in 2020. A 4-fold increase in population-based EVT eligibility can be anticipated with incremental adoption of recent or future positive trials. US stroke systems need to be rapidly optimized to handle all EVT-eligible patients with stroke.

Poverty is associated with greater stroke incidence. The relationship between poverty and stroke recurrence is less clear. In this population-based study, incident strokes within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region were ascertained during the 2015 study period and followed up for recurrence until December 31, 2018. The primary exposure was neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), defined by the percentage of households below the federal poverty line in each census tract in 4 categories (≤5%, >5%-10%, >10%-25%, >25%). Poisson regression models provided recurrence rate estimates per 100,000 residents using population data from the 2015 5-year American Community Survey, adjusting for age, sex, and race. In a secondary analysis, Cox models allowed for the inclusion of vascular risk factors in the assessment of recurrence risk by nSES among those with incident stroke. Of 2,125 patients with incident stroke, 245 had a recurrent stroke during the study period. Poorer nSES was associated with increased stroke recurrence, with rates of 12.5, 17.5, 25.4, and 29.9 per 100,000 in census tracts with ≤5%, >5%-10%, >10%-25%, and >25% below the poverty line, respectively (p < 0.01). The relative risk (95% CI) for recurrent stroke among Black vs White individuals was 2.54 (1.91-3.37) before adjusting for nSES, and 2.00 (1.47-2.74) after adjusting for nSES, a 35.1% decrease. In the secondary analysis, poorer nSES (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.10-2.76 for lowest vs highest category) and Black race (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.01-1.70) were both independently associated with recurrence risk, though neither retained significance after full adjustment. Age, diabetes, and left ventricular hypertrophy were associated with increased recurrence risk in fully adjusted models. Residents of poorer neighborhoods had a dose-dependent increase in stroke recurrence risk, and neighborhood poverty accounted for approximately one-third of the excess risk among Black individuals. These results highlight the importance of poverty, race, and the intersection of the 2 as potent drivers of stroke recurrence.

Background: Hypertension is a stroke risk factor with known disparities in prevalence and management between Black and White patients. We sought to identify if racial differences in presenting blood pressure (BP) during acute ischemic stroke exist. Methods and Results: Adults with acute ischemic stroke presenting to an emergency department within 24 hours of last known normal during study epochs 2005, 2010, and 2015 within the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study were included. Demographics, histories, arrival BP, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, and time from last known normal were collected. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine differences in mean BP between Black and White patients, adjusting for age, sex, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, stroke, body mass index, and study epoch. Of 4048 patients, 853 Black and 3195 White patients were included. In adjusted analysis, Black patients had higher presenting systolic BP (161 mm Hg [95% CI, 159–164] versus 158 mm Hg [95% CI, 157–159], P P P P P <0.01) were also higher in Black patients. Conclusions: This population‐based study suggests differences in presenting BP between Black and White patients during acute ischemic stroke. Further study is needed to determine whether these differences influence clinical decision‐making, outcome, or clinical trial eligibility.

Background: Dysphagia after stroke is common and can impact morbidity and death. The purpose of this population‐based study was to determine specific epidemiological and health risk factors that impact development of dysphagia after acute stroke. Methods and Results: Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke cases from 2010 and 2015 were identified via chart review from the GCNKSS (Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study), a representative sample of ≈1.3 million adults from southwestern Ohio and northern Kentucky. Dysphagia status was determined on the basis of clinical assessments and necessity for alternative access to nutrition via nasogastric or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement. Comparisons between patients with and without dysphagia were made to determine differences in baseline characteristics and premorbid conditions. Multivariable logistic regression determined factors associated with increased risk of dysphagia. Dysphagia status was ascertained from 4139 cases (1709 with dysphagia). Logistic regression showed that increased age, Black race, higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at admission, having a hemorrhagic stroke (versus infarct), and right hemispheric stroke increased the risk of developing dysphagia after stroke. Factors associated with reduced risk included history of high cholesterol, lower prestroke modified Rankin Scale score, and white matter disease. Conclusions: This study replicated previous findings of variables associated with dysphagia (older age, worse stroke, right‐sided hemorrhagic lesions), whereas other variables identified were without clear biological rationale (eg, Black race, history of high cholesterol, and presence of white matter disease) and should be investigated in future studies to determine biological relevance and potential influence in stroke recovery.

Background and Purpose: Dysphagia 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. Methods: Using data from the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Stroke Study, GCNKSS, involving a representative sample of approximately 1.3 million people from Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky of adults (age ≥18), ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke cases from 2010 and 2015 were identified via chart review. Dysphagia status was determined based on bedside and clinical assessments, and severity by necessity for alternative access to nutrition via nasogastric (NG) or percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube placement. Comparisons between patients with and without dysphagia were made to determine differences in baseline characteristics and pre-morbid conditions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with increased risk of developing dysphagia. Results: Dysphagia status was ascertained from 4139 cases (1709 with dysphagia). Logistic regression showed: increased age, Black race, higher NIHSS score at admission, having a hemorrhagic stroke (vs infarct), and right hemispheric stroke increased risk of developing dysphagia after stroke. Factors associated with reduced risk included history of high cholesterol, lower pre-stroke mRS score, and white matter disease. Conclusions: This study replicated many previous findings of variables associated with dysphagia (older age, worse stroke, right sided hemorrhagic lesions), while other variables identified were without clear biological rationale (e.g. Black race, history of high cholesterol and presence of white matter disease). These factors should be investigated in future, prospective studies to determine biological relevance and potential influence in stroke recovery.