Abstract P876: Allostatic Load Predicts Racial Disparities in Intracerebral Hemorrhage Outcomes

Abstract

Introduction: A large portion of stroke disparities remains unexplained, even after controlling for an array of demographic, comorbidity, and health care access variables. There is a need to close this knowledge gap by investigating novel factors that may contribute to stroke disparities. Allostatic load (AL) is the lifetime adverse physiologic impact of needing to adjust to socially structured stressors such as racism. AL has been shown to increase health vulnerability and worsen outcomes in marginalized populations. We sought to assess the differential impact of AL on cognitive outcomes post intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) across race-ethnicity. Methods: The Columbia University Intracerebral Hemorrhage Outcomes Project (ICHOP) prospectively collected data from patients presenting to Columbia University Medical Center with a diagnosis of ICH from March 2009 to May 2016. Data included demographics, stroke scores, labs, neurological deterioration, hospital complications, neuroimaging, medical history, and discharge data. Ten markers of AL (BMI, A1c, SBP, triglycerides, CRP, HDL, LDL, HGB, HR, albumin) were obtained. An AL score was generated by summing the elements in each patient that fell outside normal clinical ranges, with an AL score range from 0-10. We used linear regression models to evaluate the relationship between AL and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) at discharge in the entire population, and then stratified by race-ethnicity. Results: Among 248 White, 195 Black, and 261 Hispanic ICH patients, neither mean AL nor mean TICS differed by race/ethnicity (p=0.55, p=0.21 respectively). In the overall ICHOP cohort AL was associated with TICS at discharge (Beta -0.939, SE 0.46, p=0.043). In Whites and Hispanics AL was not associated with TICS at discharge (beta 0.267, SE 0.75, p=0.725, beta -0.71, SE 0.73, p=0.33 respectively). In Black patients, higher AL was associated with a decrease in TICS at discharge (beta -2.24, SE 0.90, p=0.016). Conclusion: AL was associated with cognitive scores at discharge for Black patients but not Hispanics or Whites, suggesting that AL is an important determinant of post ICH outcomes for certain minority populations. AL may explain some of the unexplained health disparities in stroke populations.