Neurology: Racial disparities in stroke recurrence: a population-based study

In the United States, stroke ethnicity varies widely, and black individuals are at higher
risk of stroke even when traditional stroke risk factors are adjusted.
It is unclear whether black people also have a higher risk of
recurrent stroke.
Recently, a study published in Neurology began to study
this.

During the 18-month period 2014-2015, index stroke cases
were identified in a population of 1.
3 million people in Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky.
All patients were then followed for 3 years and the risk of
recurrence was determined.
Multivariate survival analysis was used to determine the effect of
black race on relapse.

During the study period, 3816 patients developed an indicator stroke/transient ischemic attack, of which 476 patients experienced a recurrent event
within three years.
Kaplan-Meier estimated a 3-year recurrence rate of 15.
4 percent
.
Age- and sex-adjusted black men had higher rates of stroke recurrence (HR 1.
34, 95% CI 1.
1 to 1.
6; p=0.
003); However, when adjusting for traditional stroke risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking status, age, and left ventricular hypertrophy, the association with relapse in black people weakened significantly and became insignificant (HR 1.
1, 95% CI 0.
9 to 1.
36, p=0.
32).

At younger ages, black race is more strongly associated with relapse, and this effect may not be fully attenuated
by traditional stroke risk factors.

Recurrent stroke is more common in black people, but racial disparities are much smaller and become less significant
after adjusting for traditional stroke risk factors.
Interventions that target these risk factors can reduce differences
in stroke recurrence.

Source: Robinson DJ, Stanton R, Sucharew H, et al.
Racial Disparities in Stroke Recurrence: A Population-Based Study [published online ahead of print, 2022 Aug 30].
Neurology.
2022; 10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201225.
doi:10.
1212/WNL.
0000000000201225