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Background: Multiple studies have reported that the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke; however, this finding may be the result of a confounding by indication. We examined the association using different approaches to minimize such potential bias. Methods: A nested case-control study was carried out in a Spanish primary health-care database over the study period 2001 to 2015. Cases were patients sustaining an ischemic stroke with no sign of cardioembolic or unusual cause. For each case, up to 5 matched controls (for exact age, sex, and index date) were randomly selected. Antidepressants were divided in 6 pharmacological subgroups according to their mechanism of action. The current use of SSRIs (use within a 30-day window before index date) was compared with nonuse, past use (beyond 365 days) and current use of other antidepressants through a conditional logistic regression model to obtain adjusted odds ratios and 95% CI. Only initiators of SSRIs and other antidepressants were considered. Results: A total of 8296 cases and 37 272 matched controls were included. Of them, 255 (3.07%) were current users of SSRIs among cases and 834 (2.24%) among controls, yielding an adjusted odds ratio of 1.14 (95% CI, 0.97–1.34) as compared with nonusers, 0.94 (95% CI, 0.77–1.13) as compared with past-users and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.58–0.93) as compared with current users of other antidepressants. No relevant differences were found by duration (≤1, >1 year), sex, age ( Conclusions: The use of SSRIs was not associated with an increased risk of noncardioembolic ischemic stroke. On the contrary, as compared with other antidepressants, SSRIs appeared to be protective.

Background and objectives:To assess the relationship between influenza vaccination in the general population and risk of a first ischemic stroke (IS) during pre-epidemic, epidemic and post-epidemic periods.Methods:A nested case-control study was carried out in a Spanish primary care database over 2001-2015. Subjects aged 40-99 years with at-least 1-year registry and no history of stroke or cancer were selected to conform the source cohort, from which incident IS cases were identified and classified as cardioembolic or non-cardioembolic. Five controls per case were randomly selected, individually matched with cases for exact age, sex and date of stroke diagnosis (index date). A patient was considered vaccinated when he/she had a recorded influenza vaccination at least 14 days before the index date within the same season. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed through a conditional logistic regression. Pneumococcal vaccination was used as a negative control.Results:From a cohort of 3,757,621 patients, we selected 14,322 incident IS cases (9,542 non-cardioembolic and 4,780 cardioembolic) and 71,610 matched controls. Of them, 41.4% and 40.5%, respectively, were vaccinated yielding a crude OR of 1.05(95%CI:1.01-1.10). Vaccinated subjects presented a higher prevalence of vascular risk factors, diseases and comedication than non-vaccinated and, after full adjustment, the association of influenza vaccination with IS yielded an AOR of 0.88(95%CI:0.84-0.92) was found, appearing early (AOR15-30 days=0.79;95%CI:0.69-0.92) and slightly declining over time (AOR>150 days=0.92;95%CI:0.87-0.98). A reduced risk of similar magnitude was observed with both types of IS, in the three epidemic periods and in all subgroups analyzed (men, women, subjects below and over 65 years of age, and subjects with intermediate and high vascular risk). By contrast, pneumococcal vaccination was not associated with a reduced risk of IS (AOR=1.08;95%CI:1.04-1.13).Discussion:Results are compatible with a moderate protective effect of influenza vaccine on IS appearing early after vaccination. The finding that a reduced risk was also observed in pre-epidemic periods suggests that either the “protection” is not totally linked to prevention of influenza infection, or it may be partly explained by unmeasured confounding factors.

Background and purposeSpain has been heavily affected by COVID-19. Reallocation of resources for managing the outbreak might have caused a disruption in stroke care. This study analyses the impact on stroke care of reorganising the healthcare system in response to the first COVID-19 outbreak peak in Spain and the strategies adopted by Spanish stroke units to deal with this impact.Materials and methodsWe obtained data from a structured survey sent to the responsible of stroke units across the country. We recorded the number of strokes, stroke code activations, intravenous thrombolysis treatments and mechanical thrombectomies during February and March 2019 and 2020. We also collected information on the impact on workflow metrics and on the availability of specialised neurological care and rehabilitation treatments, the characteristics of stroke care for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection and the impact on human resources. We compared the activity data between 2019 and 2020 and the information on activity and impact on stroke care between regions classified according to the disease incidence rate.ResultsFifty-seven (75%) of all stroke units in Spain responded to the survey. There was an overall reduction in admissions for all stroke types during the outbreak’s peak and in the number of stroke code activations and intravenous thrombolysis treatments, results that were independent of the COVID-19 incidence rate. Participants reported a delay in workflow metrics and a reduction of admissions to stroke units, outpatient clinics and rehabilitation therapies. Specific pathways and protocols for managing stroke patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been established.ConclusionThe COVID-19 outbreak has jeopardised all phases of stroke care. As a consequence, some patients with stroke did not receive adequate treatment.

The syndrome of headache and neurologic deficits with CSF lymphocytosis (HaNDL) is a self-limited, benign entity, characterized by one or more episodes of severe headache, transient neurologic deficits and lymphocytic pleocytosis in CSF [1]. Functional imaging studies have shown changes in blood flow and brain activity whose temporal and spatial characteristics are similar to those of CSD, mechanism similar to that proposed for migraine with aura [2,3,4]. Recently, was described the clinical utility of a prominent vein named index vein, found on SWI during migraine aura that drains the cortical area responsible for patient´s symptoms [5,6]. Our paper reports a patient with HaNDL and index vein, adding further evidence for spreading depression-like mechanism, similar to that proposed for migraine.

Background and Objective: Oral anticoagulation (OAC) for secondary stroke prevention is recommended in atrial fibrillation (AF) and other sources of cardioembolic stroke. Our objectives were to explore the differences in ischemic and hemorrhagic events when using OAC for secondary stroke prevention according to the type of anticoagulant treatment and to analyze the number and reasons for OAC switches during long-term follow-up. Methods: Ischemic stroke (IS) patients who were discharged on OAC for secondary stroke prevention from January 2014 to October 2017 were recruited in a prospective, multicenter, hospital-based registry. Follow-up at 3 months was scheduled at the outpatient clinic with subsequent annual phone interviews for 3 years. Patients were classified into three study groups according to OAC at discharge: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA), Factor Xa inhibitor (FXa), or direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI). We compared stroke recurrences, intracranial hemorrhage, major bleeding, and all-cause mortality during the follow-up. We recorded any switches in OAC and the main reasons for the change. Results: A total of 241 patients were included. An anticoagulant was indicated in the presence of a source of cardioembolic stroke in 240 patients (99.6%) and lupus plus antiphospholipid syndrome in one patient. Up to 86 patients (35.6%) were on OAC before the index stroke; in 71 (82.5%) of them, this was VKA. At hospital discharge, 105 were treated with FXa (43.8%), 96 with VKA (39.6%), and 40 with DTI (16.6%). The cumulative incidences at 3 years were 17% for stroke recurrence, 1.6% for intracranial hemorrhage, 4.9% for major hemorrhage, and 22.8% for all-cause mortality, with no differences among the OAC groups in any outcomes. During the follow-up, 40 OAC switches were recorded (63% of them to FXa), mostly due to stroke recurrence. Conclusion: Long-term OAC in secondary stroke prevention is associated with a lower frequency of bleeding complications than stroke recurrences. No differences between anticoagulant drugs were found in any of the analyzed outcomes. The main cause for OAC switch during follow-up was stroke recurrence., This study was supported by grants from the Foundation for Biomedical Research of La Paz University Hospital (PI 1131)

Multiple myeloma is the most common plasma-cell malignancy. To be incurable, treatment aims to obtain the longest non-clinical survival time. Cranial nerve palsy in multiple myeloma is extremely rare and is usually due to an intracranial plasmacytoma. We present a multiple myeloma case, with an intracranial plasmacytoma, which debuted clinically with isolated, complete and fluctuating cranial nerve III palsy.A 63-year-old woman presented an oscillating clinical picture, consisting of horizontal binocular diplopia and later, headache. The neuro-ophthalmologic examination revealed a complete cranial nerve III palsy of the right eye. An urgent cranial CT-scan was requested. It showed multiple diploic osteolytic lesions, associating soft-parts component in the right superior orbital fissure. The patient was admitted, being diagnosed subsequently of IgA-kappa multiple myeloma. After receiving induction-chemotherapy and undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation, she achieved full remission.Multiple myeloma is a rare cranial nerves disorder, very uncommon cause of cranial nerve III full isolated paralysis and even less fluctuating, not having found any case published with this clinical onset. Awareness of possible multiple myeloma neuro-ophthalmic manifestations may bring about an early diagnosis and a positive impact on the disease course.Primer caso descrito de paralisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal como forma de inicio de un mieloma multiple.Introduccion. El mieloma multiple es la neoplasia de celulas plasmaticas mas frecuente. Al ser incurable, el tratamiento persigue obtener el mayor tiempo de supervivencia libre de clinica. Constituye una causa extremadamente rara de afectacion de los nervios craneales y es producido habitualmente por un plasmocitoma intracraneal. Presentamos un caso de mieloma multiple, que asociaba un plasmocitoma intracraneal y que comenzo clinicamente con paralisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal. Caso clinico. Mujer de 63 años que acudio a urgencias por presentar un cuadro clinico oscilante, consistente en diplopia binocular horizontal y, posteriormente, cefalea. La exploracion neurooftalmologica revelo una paralisis completa del III nervio craneal derecho. Se solicito una tomografia axial computarizada craneal urgente, que revelo multiples lesiones osteoliticas diploicas, asociando una de ellas componente de partes blandas en la hendidura esfenoidal derecha. La paciente fue ingresada, y se le diagnostico posteriormente un mieloma multiple IgA-kappa. Tras recibir induccion quimioterapica y ser sometida a un trasplante autologo de progenitores hematopoyeticos, alcanzo la remision completa. Conclusiones. El mieloma multiple es un trastorno raro de los nervios craneales, una causa muy infrecuente de paralisis aislada y completa del III nervio craneal y menos aun fluctuante, y no se ha encontrado ningun caso publicado con este inicio clinico. Tener en cuenta las posibles manifestaciones neurooftalmologicas del mieloma multiple puede contribuir a un diagnostico precoz y a una incidencia positiva sobre el curso de esta enfermedad.

Introduccion. El mieloma multiple es la neoplasia de celulas plasmaticas mas frecuente. Al ser incurable, el tratamiento persigue obtener el mayor tiempo de supervivencia libre de clinica. Constituye una causa extremadamente rara de afectacion de los nervios craneales y es producido habitualmente por un plasmocitoma intracraneal. Presentamos un caso de mieloma multiple, que asociaba un plasmocitoma intracraneal y que comenzo clinicamente con paralisis aislada, completa y fluctuante del III nervio craneal. Caso clinico. Mujer de 63 anos que acudio a urgencias por presentar un cuadro clinico oscilante, consistente en diplopia binocular horizontal y, posteriormente, cefalea. La exploracion neurooftalmologica revelo una paralisis completa del III nervio craneal derecho. Se solicito una tomografia axial computarizada craneal urgente, que revelo multiples lesiones osteoliticas diploicas, asociando una de ellas componente de partes blandas en la hendidura esfenoidal derecha. La paciente fue ingresada, y se le diagnostico posteriormente un mieloma multiple IgA-kappa. Tras recibir induccion quimioterapica y ser sometida a un trasplante autologo de progenitores hematopoyeticos, alcanzo la remision completa. Conclusiones. El mieloma multiple es un trastorno raro de los nervios craneales, una causa muy infrecuente de paralisis aislada y completa del III nervio craneal y menos aun fluctuante, y no se ha encontrado ningun caso publicado con este inicio clinico. Tener en cuenta las posibles manifestaciones neurooftalmologicas del mieloma multiple puede contribuir a un diagnostico precoz y a una incidencia positiva sobre el curso de esta enfermedad.