1. Sex-specific lesion pattern of functional outcomes after stroke.
- Author
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Bonkhoff, AK, Bretzner, M, Hong, S, Schirmer, MD, Cohen, A, Regenhardt, RW, Donahue, KL, Nardin, MJ, Dalca, AV, Giese, A-K, Etherton, MR, Hancock, BL, Mocking, SJT, McIntosh, EC, Attia, J, Benavente, OR, Bevan, S, Cole, JW, Donatti, A, Griessenauer, CJ, Heitsch, L, Holmegaard, L, Jood, K, Jimenez-Conde, J, Kittner, SJ, Lemmens, R, Levi, CR, McDonough, CW, Meschia, JF, Phuah, C-L, Rolfs, A, Ropele, S, Rosand, J, Roquer, J, Rundek, T, Sacco, RL, Schmidt, R, Sharma, P, Slowik, A, Söderholm, M, Sousa, A, Stanne, TM, Strbian, D, Tatlisumak, T, Thijs, V, Vagal, A, Wasselius, J, Woo, D, Zand, R, McArdle, PF, Worrall, BB, Jern, C, Lindgren, AG, Maguire, J, Fox, MD, Bzdok, D, Wu, O, Rost, NS, MRI-GENIE and GISCOME Investigators and the International Stroke Genetics Consortium, Bonkhoff, AK, Bretzner, M, Hong, S, Schirmer, MD, Cohen, A, Regenhardt, RW, Donahue, KL, Nardin, MJ, Dalca, AV, Giese, A-K, Etherton, MR, Hancock, BL, Mocking, SJT, McIntosh, EC, Attia, J, Benavente, OR, Bevan, S, Cole, JW, Donatti, A, Griessenauer, CJ, Heitsch, L, Holmegaard, L, Jood, K, Jimenez-Conde, J, Kittner, SJ, Lemmens, R, Levi, CR, McDonough, CW, Meschia, JF, Phuah, C-L, Rolfs, A, Ropele, S, Rosand, J, Roquer, J, Rundek, T, Sacco, RL, Schmidt, R, Sharma, P, Slowik, A, Söderholm, M, Sousa, A, Stanne, TM, Strbian, D, Tatlisumak, T, Thijs, V, Vagal, A, Wasselius, J, Woo, D, Zand, R, McArdle, PF, Worrall, BB, Jern, C, Lindgren, AG, Maguire, J, Fox, MD, Bzdok, D, Wu, O, Rost, NS, and MRI-GENIE and GISCOME Investigators and the International Stroke Genetics Consortium
- Abstract
Stroke represents a considerable burden of disease for both men and women. However, a growing body of literature suggests clinically relevant sex differences in the underlying causes, presentations and outcomes of acute ischaemic stroke. In a recent study, we reported sex divergences in lesion topographies: specific to women, acute stroke severity was linked to lesions in the left-hemispheric posterior circulation. We here determined whether these sex-specific brain manifestations also affect long-term outcomes. We relied on 822 acute ischaemic patients [age: 64.7 (15.0) years, 39% women] originating from the multi-centre MRI-GENIE study to model unfavourable outcomes (modified Rankin Scale >2) based on acute neuroimaging data in a Bayesian hierarchical framework. Lesions encompassing bilateral subcortical nuclei and left-lateralized regions in proximity to the insula explained outcomes across men and women (area under the curve = 0.81). A pattern of left-hemispheric posterior circulation brain regions, combining left hippocampus, precuneus, fusiform and lingual gyrus, occipital pole and latero-occipital cortex, showed a substantially higher relevance in explaining functional outcomes in women compared to men [mean difference of Bayesian posterior distributions (men - women) = -0.295 (90% highest posterior density interval = -0.556 to -0.068)]. Once validated in prospective studies, our findings may motivate a sex-specific approach to clinical stroke management and hold the promise of enhancing outcomes on a population level.
- Published
- 2022