Takeaway
- Osteoarthritis (OA) was significantly associated with an increase in the incidence of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in the 10 years following the initial diagnosis of OA.
Why this matters
- Findings highlight the urgent need for programmes and strategies aimed at reducing the risk of cerebrovascular diseases in the OA population.
Study design
- This large retrospective cohort study included 160,068 patients diagnosed with OA between 1997 and 2016 (index date).
- Patients without OA were matched (1:1) to those with OA using propensity scores.
- Incidence of stroke and TIA in the 10 years following the index year was compared between both groups.
- Funding: None.
Key results
- The 10-year incidence of stroke (4.5% vs 3.0%) and TIA (3.3% vs 2.0%) was significantly higher in patients with OA vs those without OA (log-rank P<.001 for both).
- Cox regression analyses showed that OA was positively associated with both stroke (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.39-1.51; P<.001) and TIA (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.47-1.63; P<.001).
- These associations were significant in all sex, age and OA subgroups.
Limitations
- Retrospective design.
This clinical summary originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.