The third Intensive Care Bundle with Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trial (INTERACT3): an international, stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Early control of elevated blood pressure is the most promising treatment for acute intracerebral haemorrhage. We aimed to establish whether implementing a goal-directed care bundle incorporating protocols for early intensive blood pressure lowering and management algorithms for hyperglycaemia, pyrexia, and abnormal anticoagulation, implemented in a hospital setting, could improve outcomes for patients with acute spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage. METHODS: We performed a pragmatic, international, multicentre, blinded endpoint, stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial at hospitals in nine low-income and middle-income countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Viet Nam) and one high-income country (Chile). Hospitals were eligible if they had no or inconsistent relevant, disease-specific protocols, and were willing to implement the care bundle to consecutive patients (aged ≥18 years) with imaging-confirmed spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage presenting within 6 h of the onset of symptoms, had a local champion, and could provide the required study data. Hospitals were centrally randomly allocated using permuted blocks to three sequences of implementation, stratified by country and the projected number of patients to be recruited over the 12 months of the study period. These sequences had four periods that dictated the order in which the hospitals were to switch from the control usual care procedure to the intervention implementation of the care bundle procedure to different clusters of patients in a stepped manner. To avoid contamination, details of the intervention, sequence, and allocation periods were concealed from sites until they had completed the usual care control periods. The care bundle protocol included the early intensive lowering of systolic blood pressure (target <140 mm Hg), strict glucose control (target 6·1-7·8 mmol/L in those without diabetes and 7·8-10·0 mmol/L in those with diabetes), antipyrexia treatment (target body temperature ≤37·5°C), and rapid reversal of warfarin-related anticoagulation (target international normalised ratio <1·5) within 1 h of treatment, in patients where these variables were abnormal. Analyses were performed according to a modified intention-to-treat population with available outcome data (ie, excluding sites that withdrew during the study). The primary outcome was functional recovery, measured with the modified Rankin scale (mRS; range 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) at 6 months by masked research staff, analysed using proportional ordinal logistic regression to assess the distribution in scores on the mRS, with adjustments for cluster (hospital site), group assignment of cluster per period, and time (6-month periods from Dec 12, 2017). This trial is registered at Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03209258) and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR-IOC-17011787) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between May 27, 2017, and July 8, 2021, 206 hospitals were assessed for eligibility, of which 144 hospitals in ten countries agreed to join and were randomly assigned in the trial, but 22 hospitals withdrew before starting to enrol patients and another hospital was withdrawn and their data on enrolled patients was deleted because regulatory approval was not obtained. Between Dec 12, 2017, and Dec 31, 2021, 10 857 patients were screened but 3821 were excluded. Overall, the modified intention-to-treat population included 7036 patients enrolled at 121 hospitals, with 3221 assigned to the care bundle group and 3815 to the usual care group, with primary outcome data available in 2892 patients in the care bundle group and 3363 patients in the usual care group. The likelihood of a poor functional outcome was lower in the care bundle group (common odds ratio 0·86; 95% CI 0·76-0·97; p=0·015). The favourable shift in mRS scores in the care bundle group was generally consistent across a range of sensitivity analyses that included additional adjustments for country and patient variables (0·84; 0·73-0·97; p=0·017), and with different approaches to the use of multiple imputations for missing data. Patients in the care bundle group had fewer serious adverse events than those in the usual care group (16·0% vs 20·1%; p=0·0098). INTERPRETATION: Implementation of a care bundle protocol for intensive blood pressure lowering and other management algorithms for physiological control within several hours of the onset of symptoms resulted in improved functional outcome for patients with acute intracerebral haemorrhage. Hospitals should incorporate this approach into clinical practice as part of active management for this serious condition. FUNDING: Joint Global Health Trials scheme from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Medical Research Council and Wellcome Trust; West China Hospital; the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia; Sichuan Credit Pharmaceutic and Takeda China.

Predictive accuracy of clinicians estimates of death and recovery after acute intracerebral hemorrhage: pre-specified analysis in INTERACT3 study.

INTRODUCTION: Accurately predicting a patient's prognosis is an important component of decision-making in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aimed to determine clinicians' ability to predict survival, functional recovery, and return to premorbid activities in patients with ICH. METHODS: Pre-specified secondary analysis of the third INTEnsive care bundle with blood pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral hemorrhage Trial (INTERACT3), an international, multicenter, stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial. Clinician perspectives on prognosis were collected at hospital admission and Day 7 (or before discharge). Prognosis questions were the likelihood of (i) survival at 48 hours and 6 months, (ii) favorable functional outcome (recovery walking and self-care) and (iii) return to usual activities at 6 months. Clinician predictions were compared with actual outcomes. RESULTS: Most clinician participants were from neurosurgery (75%) with a median of 8 working years (IQR 5-14) of experience. Of the 6305 randomized patients who survived 48 hours, 213 (3.4%) were predicted to die (positive predictive value [PPV] 0.99, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-0.99). Of 5435 patients who survived 6 months, 209 (3.8%) were predicted to die (PPV 0.93, 95% CI 0.92-0.93). Predictions on favorable functional outcome (PPV 0.54, 95% CI 0.52-0.56) and satisfied ability to return to usual activities (PPV 0.50, 95% CI 0.49-0.52) were poor. Prediction accuracy varied by working years and region of practice. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ICH, clinician estimates of death are very good but conversely they are poor in predicting higher levels of functional recovery and activities.

May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Nigeria.

There is a need to constantly assess the awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Nigeria. This study determined the frequency of undiagnosed hypertension across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. We conducted an opportunistic screening of adults aged at least 18 years in the month of May 2021. Participants were recruited by trained volunteers using the May Measurement Month protocol. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using validated digital sphygmomanometers. We defined hypertension as systolic BP ≥ 140 and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg and/or the use of BP-lowering medications. A total of 9361 participants (51.5% females) with a mean age of 40.7 ± 15.5 years were screened. Hypertension was present in 3192 (34.1%) of the participants. About half (1491, 46.7%) of the hypertensives were unaware of the diagnosis. Among the 3192 participants with hypertension, less than half (1540, 48.2%) were on antihypertensive medications, while only 36.4% of those on antihypertensive medications had their BP controlled (<140/90 mmHg). About one-third of Nigerians in this opportunistic screening had hypertension, with about half of them being unaware of their diagnosis while only about two out of every five on antihypertensive medications had controlled BP. Urgent health actions are needed in Nigeria to reduce the burden of hypertension and its complications.

Non-cigarette tobacco use and stroke among West Africans: evidence from the SIREN study.

INTRODUCTION: Non-cigarette tobacco (NCT) represents a form of tobacco use with a misperceived significance in chronic disease events. Whether NCT use is sufficient to promote stroke events, especially among Africans, is yet to be understood. This study assessed the relationship between NCT use and stroke among indigenous Africans. METHODS: A total of 7,617 respondents (NCT users: 41 vs. non-NCT: 7576) from the Stroke Investigation Research and Educational Network study were included in the current analysis. NCT use was defined as self-reported use of smoked (cigars or piper) or smokeless (snuff or chewed) tobacco in the past year preceding stroke events. Stroke was defined based on clinical presentation and confirmed with a cranial CT/MRI. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was applied to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the relationship between NCT and stroke at p<0.05. RESULTS: Out of the 41 (0.54%) who reported NCT use, 27 (65.9%) reported using smokeless NCT. NCT users were older than non-smokers (62.8±15.7 vs 57.7±14.8 years). Overall, NCT use was associated with first-ever stroke (OR: 2.08; 95%CI: 1.02, 4.23) in the entire sample. Notably, smokeless NCT use was independently associated with higher odds of stroke (OR: 2.74; 95%CI: 1.15, 6.54), but smoked NCT use (OR: 0.16; 95%CI: 0.02, 1.63) presented a statistically insignificant association after adjusting for hypertension and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS: NCT use was associated with higher odds of stroke, and public health interventions targeting NCT use might be promising in reducing the burden of stroke among indigenous Africans. IMPLICATIONS: A detailed understanding of the relationship between NCT use and stroke will likely inform well-articulated policy guidance to promote evidence-based recommendations for public health prevention and management of stroke on the African continent.

Are there differences in perceptions, preferences and attitudes towards disclosure of genetic testing for Stroke? A qualitative study among stroke-free SIREN-SIBS genomics study participants.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored perceptions, preferences and attitudes towards disclosure of genetic testing results for stroke among stroke-free controls (and their family members) in the SIREN-SIBS Genomics Study, healthcare providers and policymakers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of key informant interviews with 61 participants recruited from community advisory boards (30) and health care providers (31) across seven sites in Nigeria and Ghana. RESULTS: Major findings illustrate differences in the knowledge of genetic testing with superior knowledge among health care professionals. Relatives and religious leaders were opined as the best to receive the disclosure as they would be able to break the news to the patient in a culturally sensitive manner to reduce the likely resultant emotional outburst. Poor level of awareness of national guidelines for disclosing genetic results exist. Key facilitating factors for disclosure are education, enabling environment, involvement of religious and community leaders, campaigns, and possible treatment options. Disclosure inhibitors include inadequate information, fear of marital break-up or family displacement, fear of stigmatization, fear of isolation, religious beliefs, health worker attitude, and lack of preparedness to accept results. CONCLUSIONS: These necessitate culturally sensitive interventions for continuing education, increased awareness and sustained engagement to equip all stakeholders in genetic testing disclosure process.

Risk Factor Characterization of Ischemic Stroke Subtypes Among West Africans.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To identify the qualitative and quantitative contributions of conventional risk factors for occurrence of ischemic stroke and its key pathophysiologic subtypes among West Africans. METHODS: The SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a multicenter, case-control study involving 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases include adults aged ≥18 years with ischemic stroke who were etiologically subtyped using the A-S-C-O-D classification into atherosclerosis, small-vessel occlusion, cardiac pathology, other causes, and dissection. Controls were age- and gender-matched stroke-free adults. Detailed evaluations for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors were performed. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI. RESULTS: There were 2431 ischemic stroke case and stroke-free control pairs with respective mean ages of 62.2±14.0 versus 60.9±13.7 years. There were 1024 (42.1%) small vessel occlusions, 427 (17.6%) large-artery atherosclerosis, 258 (10.6%) cardio-embolic, 3 (0.1%) carotid dissections, and 719 (29.6%) undetermined/other causes. The adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) for the 8 dominant risk factors for ischemic stroke were hypertension, 10.34 (6.91-15.45); dyslipidemia, 5.16 (3.78-7.03); diabetes, 3.44 (2.60-4.56); low green vegetable consumption, 1.89 (1.45-2.46); red meat consumption, 1.89 (1.45-2.46); cardiac disease, 1.88 (1.22-2.90); monthly income $100 or more, 1.72 (1.24-2.39); and psychosocial stress, 1.62 (1.18-2.21). Hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes were confluent factors shared by small-vessel, large-vessel and cardio-embolic subtypes. Stroke cases and stroke-free controls had a mean of 5.3±1.5 versus 3.2±1.0 adverse cardio-metabolic risk factors respectively (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Traditional vascular risk factors demonstrate important differential effect sizes with pathophysiologic, clinical and preventative implications on the occurrence of ischemic stroke among indigenous West Africans.

Pre-Stroke Depression in Ghana and Nigeria: Prevalence, Predictors and Association With Poststroke Depression.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is a risk factor for stroke. There is a knowledge gap on the predictors of prestroke depression in stroke survivors living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We estimated prevalence and predictors of prestroke depression, as well as its association with poststroke depression (PSD) in the largest study of stroke in Africa. METHODS: We evaluated information collected as part of the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) study, a multicentre, case-control study conducted at 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Prestroke depression status was ascertained in stroke survivors using a validated self-report tool, while PSD was assessed using a stroke specific screening tool for depression ("HRQOLISP-E"). Independent associations were investigated using complementary log-log regression and binary logit models. RESULTS: Among 1,977 participants, prestroke depression was found in 141 (7.1%). In multivariate analyses, prestroke depression was significantly associated with tachycardia (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.37-3.56) and low consumption of green leafy vegetables (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.12-3.24). Forty-one (29.1%) of the prestroke depression sub-sample developed PSD. However, prestroke depression was not significantly associated with PSD. CONCLUSION: The findings should energize before-the-stroke identification and prioritization of limited treatment resources in LMICs to persons with depression who have multiple, additional, risks of stroke.

Differential associations between pre-diabetes, diabetes and stroke occurrence among West Africans.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data from Africa on the burden and associations between pre-diabetes (pre-DM), diabetes mellitus (DM) and stroke occurrence in a region experiencing a profound rise in stroke burden. PURPOSE: To characterize the associations between stroke and dysglycemic status among West Africans. METHODS: The Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) is a multicenter, case-control study involving 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases include adults aged ≥18 years with clinical and radiological evidence of an acute stroke. Controls were age-and-gender matched stroke-free adults. Detailed evaluations for vascular factors were performed. Pre-diabetes was defined as HBA1c of 5.7%-6.4% or Fasting blood glucose (FBG) 5.6-7.0 mmol/L and DM as HBA1c >6.5% or FBG>7.0 mmol/L. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% Confidence Interval. RESULTS: Among 2,935 stroke cases the mean age was 60.0 ± 14.2 years with 55.2% being males. By glycemic status, 931 (31.7%) were euglycemic, 633 (21.6%) had Pre-diabetes and 1371 (46.7%) had DM. Of the age- and sex-matched stroke-free controls 69.2% were euglycemic, 13.3% had pre-DM and 17.5% had DM. Pre-DM [aOR (95% CI): 3.68(2.61-5.21)] and DM [4.29 (3.19-5.74)] were independently associated with stroke. The aOR of Pre-DM for ischemic stroke 3.06 (2.01-4.64)] was lower than 4.82 (3.37-6.89) for DM. However, the aOR of Pre-DM for hemorrhagic stroke 6.81 (95% CI: 3.29 - 14.08)] was higher than 3.36 (1.94-5.86) for DM. Furthermore, the aOR of pre-DM for ischemic stroke subtypes were 9.64 (1.30-71.57) for cardio-embolic stroke, 3.64 (1.80-7.34) for small-vessel occlusive disease and 4.63 (0.80-26.65) for large-vessel disease. CONCLUSION: Pre-DM is strongly and independently associated with stroke in Africans. Improving glycemic control through screening, healthy lifestyle and pharmacotherapy at a population level may be strategic in reducing the rising burden of stroke in Africa.

Legal Implications of Stroke Biobanking and Genomics Research in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Stroke is a major cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and genetic factors appear to play a part. This has led to stroke biobanking and genomics research in SSA. Existing stroke studies have focused on causes, incidence rates, fatalities and effects. However, scant attention has been paid to the legal issues in stroke biobanking and genomics research in the sub-region. Therefore, this article examines the legal implications of stroke biobanking and genomics research in SSA. The article adopts a textual analysis of primary and secondary sources in law. It reports that there are laws from the perspectives of human right, the common law, and intellectual property. However, there are gaps to be filled. The article therefore argues for legislative intervention. It concludes that pending the time the statute will be enacted, genomics researchers in Africa should adopt the ethical guidelines prepared by Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3 Africa).

May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Nigeria.

The aim of this study is to estimate the frequency of undetected hypertension across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. We conducted an opportunistic screening of adults aged at least 18 years in the month of May 2019. Participants were recruited by trained volunteers using the May Measurement Month protocol. Blood pressure (BP) was measured using validated digital and mercury sphygmomanometers. We defined hypertension as BP ≥140/90 mmHg or the use of BP-lowering medication. A total of 3646 participants (52.8% females) with a mean age of 44.5 ± 15.7 years were screened. Hypertension was present in 39.2% of the participants but only 55. 4% of these were on antihypertensive medications. Only 46.8% hypertensives who were on medications had their BP controlled (<140/90 mmHg). Previous history of hypertension in pregnancy, alcohol intake and smoking were associated with increased mean systolic and diastolic BPs. The frequency of Nigerians with hypertension is high while only about half of those on antihypertensive medications are controlled. A multi-pronged approach to reduce the burden of hypertension is needed.

A Novel Afrocentric Stroke Risk Assessment Score: Models from the Siren Study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke risk can be quantified using risk factors whose effect sizes vary by geography and race. No stroke risk assessment tool exists to estimate aggregate stroke risk for indigenous African. OBJECTIVES: To develop Afrocentric risk-scoring models for stroke occurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 3533 radiologically confirmed West African stroke cases paired 1:1 with age-, and sex-matched stroke-free controls in the SIREN study. The 7,066 subjects were randomly split into a training and testing set at the ratio of 85:15. Conditional logistic regression models were constructed by including 17 putative factors linked to stroke occurrence using the training set. Significant risk factors were assigned constant and standardized statistical weights based on regression coefficients (ß) to develop an additive risk scoring system on a scale of 0-100%. Using the testing set, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves were constructed to obtain a total score to serve as cut-off to discriminate between cases and controls. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) at this cut-off. RESULTS: For stroke occurrence, we identified 15 traditional vascular factors. Cohen's kappa for validity was maximal at a total risk score of 56% using both statistical weighting approaches to risk quantification and in both datasets. The risk score had a predictive accuracy of 76% (95%CI: 74-79%), sensitivity of 80.3%, specificity of 63.0%, PPV of 68.5% and NPV of 76.2% in the test dataset. For ischemic strokes, 12 risk factors had predictive accuracy of 78% (95%CI: 74-81%). For hemorrhagic strokes, 7 factors had a predictive accuracy of 79% (95%CI: 73-84%). CONCLUSIONS: The SIREN models quantify aggregate stroke risk in indigenous West Africans with good accuracy. Prospective studies are needed to validate this instrument for stroke prevention.

The Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry: Process, Profile, and Prospects of a Collaborative Project.

BACKGROUND: Clinical disease registries are useful for quality improvement in care, benchmarking standards, and facilitating research. Collaborative networks established thence can enhance national and international studies by generating more robust samples and credible data and promote knowledge sharing and capacity building. This report describes the methodology, baseline data, and prospects of the Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry. METHODS: This national registry was established in November 2016. Ethics approval was obtained for all sites. Basic anonymized data for consecutive cases fulfilling the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Brain Bank criteria (except the exclusion criterion of affected family members) are registered by participating neurologists via a secure registry website (www.parkinsonnigeria.com) using a minimal common data capture format. RESULTS: The registry had captured 578 participants from 5 of 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria by July 2019 (72.5% men). Mean age at onset was 60.3 ± 10.7 years; median disease duration (interquartile range) was 36 months (18-60.5 months). Young-onset disease (<50 years) represented 15.2%. A family history was documented in 4.5% and 7.8% with age at onset <50 and ≥ 50, respectively. The most frequent initial symptom was tremor (45.3%). At inclusion, 93.4% were on treatment (54.5% on levodopa monotherapy). Per-capita direct cost for the registry was $3.37. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first published national Parkinson's disease registry in sub-Saharan Africa. The registry will serve as a platform for development of multipronged evidence-based policies and initiatives to improve quality of care of Parkinson's disease and research engagement in Nigeria. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

May Measurement Month 2018: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Nigeria.

Hypertension remains the dominant cardiovascular risk factor worldwide. May Measurement Month (MMM) is an annual global programme of the International Society of Hypertension aimed at screening for undetected hypertension in the general population. We report the outcome of MMM 2018 in Nigeria. An opportunistic screening of adults aged at least 18 years was conducted in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria in the month of May, 2018. Screening for hypertension was done by trained volunteers with the use of validated digital and mercury sphygmomanometers following the MMM protocol. Hypertension was defined as blood pressure (BP) ≥140/90 mmHg or the use of BP-lowering medication. There were 6398 participants (53.0% female) with a mean (SD) age of 41.7 (15.0) years. Hypertension was present in 36.4% of the participants with 51.1% of the hypertensives aware of their status, 41.8% on medication, of whom 43.1% were controlled. Overall, only 18.0% of all hypertensive participants had their BP under control. The proportion with hypertension is high, and awareness, treatment, and control rates are low. Concerted efforts are needed to improve awareness and treatment of hypertension in Nigeria in order to reduce the high rate of complications associated with uncontrolled BP.

Differential Impact of Risk Factors on Stroke Occurrence Among Men Versus Women in West Africa.

Background and Purpose- The interplay between sex and the dominant risk factors for stroke occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa has not been clearly delineated. We compared the effect sizes of risk factors of stroke by sex among West Africans. Methods- SIREN study (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Networks) is a case-control study conducted at 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases were adults aged >18 years with computerized tomography/magnetic resonance imaging confirmed stroke, and controls were age- and sex-matched stroke-free adults. Comprehensive evaluation for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors was performed using validated tools. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and reported risk factor specific and composite population attributable risks with 95% CIs. Results- Of the 2118 stroke cases, 1193 (56.3%) were males. The mean±SD age of males was 58.1±13.2 versus 60.15±14.53 years among females. Shared modifiable risk factors for stroke with adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) among females versus males, respectively, were hypertension [29.95 (12.49-71.77) versus 16.1 0(9.19-28.19)], dyslipidemia [2.08 (1.42-3.06) versus 1.83 (1.29-2.59)], diabetes mellitus [3.18 (2.11-4.78) versus 2.19 (1.53-3.15)], stress [2.34 (1.48-3.67) versus 1.61 (1.07-2.43)], and low consumption of green leafy vegetables [2.92 (1.89-4.50) versus 2.00 (1.33-3.00)]. However, salt intake and income were significantly different between males and females. Six modifiable factors had a combined population attributable risk of 99.1% (98.3%-99.6%) among females with 9 factors accounting for 97.2% (94.9%-98.7%) among males. Hemorrhagic stroke was more common among males (36.0%) than among females (27.6%), but stroke was less severe among males than females. Conclusions- Overall, risk factors for stroke occurrence are commonly shared by both sexes in West Africa favoring concerted interventions for stroke prevention in the region.

Distal symmetrical polyneuropathy and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy among diabetic patients in Ilorin: Prevalence and predictors.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral neuropathy contributes to morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the prevalence of distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP) and cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) and their predictors among diabetic patients in Ilorin, North-central Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: : This was a cross-sectional study in which 175 consenting diabetic patients were recruited consecutively. We assessed DSP using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), and it was defined by MNSI symptom score ≥7 or physical examination score ≥2. CAN was assessed using five tests of cardiovascular autonomic function, and abnormalities in ≥2 tests defined CAN. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictors of DSP and CAN. RESULTS: The prevalence of DSP and CAN was 41.7% and 26.9%, respectively, while 19.4% had both. Hypertension (odds ratio [OR]: 2.401; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.169-4.930, P = 0.017) and poor glycaemic control (OR: 2.957; 95% CI: 1.488-5.878, P = 0.002) independently predicted DSP. Hypertension (OR: 2.215; 95% CI: 1.023-4.414, P = 0.043) and serum creatinine (OR: 1.035; 95% CI: 1.014-1.056, P ≤ 0.001) were independent predictors of CAN. CONCLUSION: DSP and CAN are common among diabetic patients, and thus efforts should be made to prevent their occurrence by intensifying blood pressure and glucose control while regularly monitoring renal function.

Stroke Among Young West Africans: Evidence From the SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) Large Multisite Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke in lower and middle-income countries affects a young and productive age group. Data on factors associated with stroke in the young are sorely lacking from lower and middle-income countries. Our objective is to characterize the nature of stroke and its risk factors among young West Africans aged <50 years old. METHODS: The SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a multicenter, case-control study involving 15 sites in Nigeria and Ghana. Cases included adults aged ≥18 years with computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed stroke. Controls were age-and gender-matched stroke-free adults recruited from the communities in catchment areas of cases. Comprehensive evaluation for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors was performed. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and population attributable risks with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Five hundred fifteen (24.3%) out of 2118 cases enrolled were <50 years old. Among subjects <50 years old, hemorrhagic stroke proportion was 270 (52.5%) versus 245 (47.5%) for ischemic strokes. Etiologic subtypes of ischemic strokes included large artery atherosclerosis (40.0%), small vessel disease (28.6%), cardioembolism (11.0%), and undetermined (20.4%). Hypertension (91.7%), structural lesions (3.4%), and others (4.9%) were causally associated with hemorrhagic stroke. Six topmost modifiable factors associated with stroke in descending order of population attributable risk (95% confidence interval) were hypertension: 88.7% (82.5%-94.8%), dyslipidemia: 48.2% (30.6%-65.9%), diabetes mellitus: 22.6% (18.7%-26.5%), low green vegetable consumption: 18.2% (-6.8%-43.2%), stress: 14.5% (4.9%-24.1%), and cardiac disease: 8.4% (5.8%-11.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The high and rising burden of stroke among young Africans should be curtailed via aggressive, population-wide vascular risk factor control.

Stroke in Indigenous Africans, African Americans, and European Americans: Interplay of Racial and Geographic Factors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The relative contributions of racial and geographic factors to higher risk of stroke in people of African ancestry have not been unraveled. We compared stroke type and contributions of vascular risk factors among indigenous Africans (IA), African Americans (AA), and European Americans (EA). METHODS: SIREN (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network) is a large multinational case-control study in West Africa-the ancestral home of 71% AA-whereas REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) is a cohort study including AA and EA in the United States. Using harmonized assessments and standard definitions, we compared data on stroke type and established risk factors for stroke in acute stroke cases aged ≥55 years in both studies. RESULTS: There were 811 IA, 452 AA, and 665 EA stroke subjects, with mean age of 68.0±9.3, 73.0±8.3, and 76.0±8.3 years, respectively (P<0.0001). Hemorrhagic stroke was more frequent among IA (27%) compared with AA (8%) and EA (5.4%; P<0.001). Lacunar strokes were more prevalent in IA (47.1%), followed by AA (35.1%) and then EA (21.0%; P<0.0001). The frequency of hypertension in decreasing order was IA (92.8%), followed by AA (82.5%) and then EA (64.2%; P<0.0001) and similarly for diabetes mellitus IA (38.3%), AA (36.8%), and EA (21.0%; P<0.0001). Premorbid sedentary lifestyle was similar in AA (37.7%) and EA (34.0%) but lower frequency in IA (8.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Environmental risk factors such as sedentary lifestyle may contribute to the higher proportion of ischemic stroke in AA compared with IA, whereas racial factors may contribute to the higher proportion of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among stroke subjects of African ancestry.

Blood Pressure Control among Hypertensive Stroke Survivors in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is the dominant risk factor for first-ever and recurrent stroke. The objective of the present study was to assess control of blood pressure (BP) among hypertensive stroke survivors seen at 2 tertiary hospitals in Nigeria. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, stroke survivors with hypertension as a risk factor were consecutively recruited in the outpatient clinics of the participating hospitals. After the necessary demographic and clinical information had been obtained, participants had their BP assessed in a standardized manner. A BP of <140/< 90 mmHg was defined as good control. Univariate binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the predictors of good BP control. RESULTS: There were 284 subjects with a mean age of 59.0 ± 13.1 years. The overall mean systolic blood pressure was 142.7 ± 22.5 mmHg (male 144.9 ± 22.7, female 138.4 ± 21.6; P > .05) while the overall mean diastolic blood pressure was 85.6 ± 14.5 mmHg (male 85.8 ± 14.6, female 85.2 ± 14.4; P > .05). In spite of the fact that 270 (95.1%) of the subjects were on antihypertensives, only 39.8% (male 37.0%, female 44.1%; P > .05) had good BP control. In univariate analysis, having at least 12 years of formal education (OR 1.672, 95% CI 1.035-2.699; P < .05) and good compliance to antihypertensive medications (OR 9.732, 95% CI 3.391-27.930; P < .001) were the only variables associated with good BP control. CONCLUSIONS: Control of BP is poor among Nigerian hypertensive stroke survivors and is associated with the level of formal education and drug compliance. Urgent measures are needed to improve on this poor BP control as these may potentially reduce stroke recurrence rate.

Development and Reliability of a User-Friendly Multicenter Phenotyping Application for Hemorrhagic and Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Annotation and Image Markup on ClearCanvas Enriched Stroke-phenotyping Software (ACCESS) is a novel stand-alone computer software application that allows the creation of simple standardized annotations for reporting brain images of all stroke types. We developed the ACCESS application and determined its inter-rater and intra-rater reliability in the Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Network (SIREN) study to assess its suitability for multicenter studies. METHODS: One hundred randomly selected stroke imaging reports from 5 SIREN sites were re-evaluated by 4 trained independent raters to determine the inter-rater reliability of the ACCESS (version 12.0) software for stroke phenotyping. To determine intra-rater reliability, 6 raters reviewed the same cases previously reported by them after a month of interval. Ischemic stroke was classified using the Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project (OCSP), Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST), and Atherosclerosis, Small-vessel disease, Cardiac source, Other cause (ASCO) protocols, while hemorrhagic stroke was classified using the Structural lesion, Medication, Amyloid angiopathy, Systemic disease, Hypertensive angiopathy and Undetermined (SMASH-U) protocol in ACCESS. Agreement among raters was measured with Cohen's kappa statistics. RESULTS: For primary stroke type, inter-rater agreement was .98 (95% confidence interval [CI], .94-1.00), while intra-rater agreement was 1.00 (95% CI, 1.00). For OCSP subtypes, inter-rater agreement was .97 (95% CI, .92-1.00) for the partial anterior circulation infarcts, .92 (95% CI, .76-1.00) for the total anterior circulation infarcts, and excellent for both lacunar infarcts and posterior circulation infarcts. Intra-rater agreement was .97 (.90-1.00), while inter-rater agreement was .93 (95% CI, .84-1.00) for TOAST subtypes. Inter-rater agreement ranged between .78 (cardioembolic) and .91 (large artery atherosclerotic) for ASCO subtypes and was .80 (95% CI, .56-1.00) for SMASH-U subtypes. CONCLUSION: The ACCESS application facilitates a concordant and reproducible classification of stroke subtypes by multiple investigators, making it suitable for clinical use and multicenter research.

Knowledge of stroke risk factors among Nigerians at high risk.

BACKGROUND: Although the first step toward effective primary prevention of stroke is awareness of its risk factors, there is limited information on knowledge of these risk factors among Nigerians at increased risk. We assessed the knowledge of risk factors for stroke among Nigerians at high risk. METHOD: Using an interviewer-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional design, high-risk patients (defined as those with a diagnosis of hypertension and/or diabetes) attending the specialist medical outpatient clinics of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital were requested to mention all the stroke risk factors they knew. The outcome measure was ability to mention at least 1 well-documented modifiable or potentially modifiable risk factor. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine predictors of the outcome measure. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 56.4 ± 12.6 years. Only 39.8% were able to mention at least 1 well-documented modifiable or potentially modifiable risk factor; hypertension was the most recognized (34.7%). Other risk factors mentioned by the respondents were: diabetes (7.3%), alcohol intake (4.5%), smoking (3.8%), overweight and obesity (1.9%), and heart disease (.6%). Factors found to be significantly associated with ability to correctly mention at least 1 stroke risk factor were younger age (<55 years), more than 12 years of formal education, family history of stroke, urban residence, and previous health education on stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Despite being at high risk, knowledge of stroke risk factors is poor among our respondents. Intensive health education is needed to improve on this poor knowledge.