Abstract
IntroductionStudies of differences in very long-term outcomes between people with lacunar/small vessel disease (SVD) versus other types of ischaemic stroke report mixed findings, with limited data on myocardial infarction (MI). We investigated whether long-term mortality, recurrent stroke and MI risks differ in people with versus without lacunar/SVD ischaemic stroke.Patients and methodsWe included first-ever strokes from a hospital-based stroke cohort study recruited in 2002–2005. We compared risks of death, recurrent stroke and MI during follow-up among lacunar/SVD versus other ischaemic stroke subtypes using Cox regression, adjusting for confounding factors.ResultsWe included 812 participants, 283 with lacunar/SVD ischaemic stroke and 529 with other stroke. During a median of 9.2 years (interquartile range 3.1–11.8), there were 519 deaths, 181 recurrent strokes and 79 MIs. Lacunar/SVD stroke was associated with lower mortality (adjusted HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.95), largely due to markedly lower all-cause mortality in the first year. From one year onwards this difference attenuated, with all-cause mortality only slightly and not statistically significantly lower in the lacunar/SVD group (0.86, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.05). There was no clear difference in risk of recurrent stroke (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.61–1.15) or MI (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.52–1.34).ConclusionLong-term risks of all-cause mortality, recurrent stroke and MI are similar, or only slightly lower, in patients with lacunar/SVD as compared to other ischaemic stroke. Patients and physicians should be as vigilant in optimising short- and long-term secondary prevention of vascular events in lacunar/SVD as for other stroke types.
Highlights
Studies of on the differences in very long-term outcomes between people with versus without lacunar/small vessel disease (SVD) versus other types of ischaemic stroke report mixed findings, with limited data on risks of myocardial infarction (MI)
People with lacunar/SVD stroke had lower mortality risk than other ischaemic stroke subtypes over the entire follow-up period, largely explained by a much lower risk of dying after lacunar/SVD stroke in the first year (0-1 year hazard ratios (HRs) 0.49, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 0.28 to 0.84)
When we excluded patients who died within three months of the stroke, we found that, among 766 remaining patients, those with a lacunar/SVD stroke had an 18% lower mortality risk than other ischaemic stroke
Summary
Studies of on the differences in very long-term outcomes between people with versus without lacunar/small vessel disease (SVD) versus other types of ischaemic stroke report mixed findings, with limited data on risks of myocardial infarction (MI).
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