Racial and ethnic differences in sleep-disordered breathing and sleep duration among stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize racial and ethnic differences in pre- and post-stroke sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and pre-stroke sleep duration. METHODS: Within the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi cohort of patients with ischemic stroke (8/26/2010-1/31/2020), pre-stroke SDB risk was assessed retrospectively using the Berlin Questionnaire. Post-stroke SDB was defined by prospective collection of the respiratory event index (REI) using the ApneaLink Plus performed shortly after stroke. Pre-stroke sleep duration was self-reported. We used separate regression models to evaluate the association between race/ethnicity and each outcome (pre-stroke SDB, post-stroke SDB, and pre-stroke sleep duration), without and with adjustment for potential confounders. RESULTS: There was no difference in pre-stroke risk of SDB between Black and non-Hispanic white (NHW) participants (odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% CI 0.77-1.49), whereas MA (Mexican American), compared to NHW, participants had a higher risk of SDB before adjusting for demographic and clinical variables (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08-1.47). Post-stroke SDB risk was higher in MA (estimate 1.16, 95% CI 1.06-1.28) but lower in Black (estimate 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.96) compared to NHW participants; although, only the ethnic difference remained after adjustment. MA and Black participants had shorter sleep duration than NHW participants (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.72-0.96 for MA; OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.49-0.91 for Black participants) before but not after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic differences appear likely to exist in pre- and post-stroke SDB and pre-stroke sleep duration. Such differences might contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in stroke incidence and outcomes.

Evaluation of DBS Timeline in Movement Disorders: A Comparison Between Genders.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a pivotal surgical treatment for movement disorders. However, men and women have had differing opinions and referral experiences related to DBS, leading us to assess whether a gender disparity exists in the interval from a movement disorder diagnosis to DBS usage. METHODS: We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study of 105 patients who had undergone DBS surgery for either Parkinson disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET). We compared gender differences in the median interval between the diagnosis date, DBS consultation date, and DBS surgery dates. Additionally, the patient demographics, baseline clinical characteristics, and DBS outcomes were compared between men and women. RESULTS: We found no significant differences between genders in the interval from the diagnosis to DBS surgery for ET or PD. At the DBS consultation for ET, the women had had significantly greater disease severity compared with the men (P = 0.029). The baseline motor impairment without medication was similar between the men and women with PD. However, female patients with PD had experienced a significantly greater reduction compared with male patients in baseline motor impairment with medication versus without medication (P = 0.042). No minority populations were represented within the female ET and PD subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our study detected no gender differences in the DBS implantation timeline but alluded to a gender-specific discrepancy in DBS referral for ET. The female patients did not have a shorter duration from the ET diagnosis to DBS, despite experiencing significantly greater baseline ET severity compared with their male counterparts. Furthermore, the women with ET more often used Medicaid insurance and were without minority representation.

Ten-Year Trends in Sleep-Disordered Breathing After Ischemic Stroke: 2010 to 2019 Data From the BASIC Project.

Background Despite good evidence that the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is increasing in the general population, no data are available about trends in poststroke SDB. We therefore sought to assess changes in poststroke SDB over a 10-year period (2010-2019). Methods and Results Participants in the BASIC (Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi) project were offered a home sleep apnea test to assess for SDB after stroke. SDB assessment procedures remained unchanged throughout the study period. Respiratory event index was calculated as the sum of apneas and hypopneas per hour of recording. SDB was defined as respiratory event index ≥10/h for optimal sensitivity and specificity of the home sleep apnea test device compared with in-laboratory polysomnography. Regression models were used to test associations between SDB prevalence and severity and time, with adjustment for multiple potential confounders. Among the 1215 participants who completed objective sleep apnea testing, the prevalence of SDB grew from 61% in the first year of the study to 76% in the last, with 1.1 times higher odds each year (95% CI, 1.07-1.19), after adjustment. A linear association was identified between time and respiratory event index (average annual respiratory event index increase of 0.56/h; 95% CI, 0.20/h-0.91/h), after adjustment. There was no difference in time trends by sex or ethnicity. Conclusions The prevalence and severity of SDB after ischemic stroke has increased over the past 10 years in this population-based cohort. These data highlight the need to determine whether SDB treatment improves stroke outcomes.

Ethnic Differences in Informal Caregiving After Stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Informal (unpaid) caregiving usually provided by family is important poststroke. We studied whether the prevalence of informal caregiving after stroke differs between Mexican Americans (MAs) and non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs). METHODS: Between October 2014 and December 2018, participants in the BASIC (Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi) project in Nueces County, Texas, were interviewed 90 days after stroke to determine which activities of daily living they required help with and whether family provided informal caregiving. Ethnic differences between MAs and NHWs were determined by logistic regression. The logistic models were stratified by formal (paid) care status. Odds ratios (95% CIs) are reported with NHW as the referent group. Fisher exact tests were used to assess the association of ethnicity with relationship of caregiver and with individual activities of daily living. RESULTS: Eight hundred thirty-one patients answered the caregiving questions. Of these, 242 (29%) received family caregiving (33% of MAs and 23% of NHWs), and 142 (17%) received paid caregiving (21% of MAs and 10% of NHWs). There were no ethnic differences in stroke severity. In logistic regression analyses, among those without formal, paid care, MAs were more likely to have informal caregiving (odds ratio, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.12-2.73]) adjusted for age, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, prestroke modified Rankin Scale, and insurance. No ethnic differences in informal care were found among those who had formal care. There were no differences between ethnic groups in which family members provided the informal care. MAs were more likely to require help compared with NHWs for walking (P<0.0001), bathing (P<0.0001), hygiene (P=0.0012), eating (P=0.0004), dressing (P<0.0001), ambulating (P=0.0304), and toileting (P=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: MAs required more help poststroke than NHWs for assistance with activities of daily living. MAs received more help for activities of daily living through informal, unpaid caregiving than NHWs if they were not also receiving formal, paid care. Efforts to help minority and low-resource populations provide stroke care are needed.

Wake-up stroke is not associated with obstructive sleep apnea.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor for stroke. This study sought to assess the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and wake-up strokes (WUS), that is, stroke symptoms that are first noted upon awakening from sleep. PATIENTS/METHODS: In this analysis, 837 Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) project participants completed an interview to ascertain stroke onset during sleep (WUS) versus wakefulness (non-wake-up stroke, non-WUS). A subset of 316 participants underwent a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) shortly after ischemic stroke to assess for OSA. Regression models were used to test the association between OSA and WUS, stratified by sex. RESULTS: Of 837 participants who completed the interview, 251 (30%) reported WUS. Among participants who underwent an HSAT, there was no significant difference in OSA severity [respiratory event index (REI)] among participants with WUS [median REI 17, interquartile range (IQR) 10, 29] versus non-WUS (median REI 18, IQR 9, 30; p = 0.73). OSA severity was not associated with increased odds of WUS among men [unadjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.011, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.995, 1.027] or women (unadjusted OR 0.987, 95% CI 0.959, 1.015). These results remained unchanged after adjustment for age, congestive heart failure, body mass index, and pre-stroke depression in men (adjusted OR 1.011, 95% CI 0.994, 1.028) and women (adjusted OR 0.988, 95% CI 0.959, 1.018). CONCLUSIONS: Although OSA is a risk factor for stroke, the onset of stroke during sleep is not associated with OSA in this large, population-based stroke cohort.

Mexican American Immigrants Demonstrate Better Functional Stroke Outcomes Compared With Mexican American Nonimmigrants.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We analyzed differences in 90-day poststroke outcomes between Mexican Americans born in the United States (nonimmigrant) compared with those born outside the United States (immigrant). METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of prospective data from the population-based Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi project. We identified stroke cases from 2008 to 2016 and quantified functional, cognitive, and neurological outcomes. Associations between outcome scores and immigration status were analyzed using weighted linear regression models. RESULTS: Eighty-three Mexican American stroke cases (n=935) were immigrants, and 852 stroke cases were nonimmigrants. Average length of stay in the United States for immigrants was 47 years. Immigrants were older (69 versus 66 years), more likely men (60% versus 49%), had less education on average, and were more likely to have atrial fibrillation compared with nonimmigrants. No differences in other comorbidities existed between groups. After adjustment for confounders, immigrants had better functional outcomes (activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living; mean difference, -0.22; P=0.02; 1-4, higher scores worse) and no difference in neurological outcomes (log-National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; mean difference, -0.15; P=0.15; 0-44, higher scores worse) or cognitive outcomes (3 Mini-Mental State Examination; mean difference, -0.79; P=0.64; 0-100, lower scores worse). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term Mexican American immigrants in this community display better stroke functional outcomes than nonimmigrant Mexican Americans and comparable neurological and cognitive outcomes.