Abstract TP206: Vascular Risk Factors And Stimulant Use Among Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background: In 2019, an estimated 7.3 US million adults had used stimulants in the past year. Stimulant use is associated with increased stroke risk, yet the prevalence of common stroke risk factors (RFs) in patients who use stimulants is not well described. We sought to examine the association between stimulant use and the presence of stroke risk factors (RFs) in stroke patients. Methods: We conducted an IRB approved retrospective review of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients admitted 9/2019 through 9/2020. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 and completion of a urine drug screen (UDS) on admission. Logistic regression was used to model the association of RFs (hypertension, type 2 diabetes (DMII), hyperlipidemia, atrial fibrillation, and coronary disease) to acute stimulant use, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Results: Among 1878 patients screened, 814 (43.3%) had a UDS. UDS was more common in younger (median age 60 vs 67), male (60.4% vs 47.6%) and Black (35.6% vs 27.5%) and Hispanic (22.0% vs 21.6%) patients. Of those with UDS, 72(8.84%) had cocaine and/or amphetamine detected and 660 (81.08%) were UDS negative. After controlling for age, sex, race, and insurance status, hypertension (OR 2.28, 95%CI 1.17-4.41) was positively associated with stimulant use while DMII was negatively associated (OR 0.39, 95%CI 0.19-0.81). Other RFs were not associated with stimulant use. Conclusion: Despite being younger, stroke patients with stimulant-positive UDS had a higher prevalence of hypertension, a leading risk factor for recurrent stroke, than UDS-negative patients. This group may represent a high-risk population that may benefit from targeted interventions for secondary stroke prevention. Differences in screening by sex, race, and age may lead to missed opportunities for assessment of recurrent stroke risk. A standard approach to drug screening may eliminate these biases.