Acute ischaemic stroke: can sleep apnoea predict functional outcomes?

Takeaway

• Sleep apnoea is independently associated with increased risk for acute ischaemic stroke and poor functional outcome.
• An association was also observed between sleep apnoea and other known stroke risk factors like hypertension.

Why this matters

• Considering sleep apnoea in patients with acute ischaemic stroke could improve chances of recovery and reduce the risk for recurrence.

Study design

• This prospective observational study evaluated 102 consecutive patients with acute ischaemic stroke with hemiplegic upper limb.
• Sleep disordered Questionnaire, Berlin Questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale assessed sleep apnoea.
• Functional outcome was measured using Barthel score.
• Funding: None disclosed.

Key results

• 31 (30.3%) patients had sleep apnoea.
• Presence of hypertension was more in the apnoea vs no apnoea group (64.5% vs 43.6%; P=.052).
• Gain in mean Barthel score at the end of 3 months showed significant improvement in patients with no sleep apnoea (P<.001), suggesting an association between sleep apnoea and increased risk for ischaemic stroke.

Limitations

• Single-center study.
• Polysomnography not done to establish the diagnosis of sleep apnoea.