Previous antiplatelet therapy is an independent predictor of 30-day mortality after spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) constitutes 10% to 15% of all strokes. Despite several existing outcome prediction models for ICH, there are some factors with equivocal value as well as others that still have not been evaluated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients with first ever supratentorial ICH presenting to our institution between December 1995 and December 2002 were prospectively enrolled into the study. Patients with historic modified Rankin Scale > 2 and those under anticoagulant treatment or with multiple ICH were excluded. The following parameters were analyzed in 194 consecutive patients: age, gender, past history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, past history of ischemic stroke, presence of ischemic heart disease or cardioembolic disease, current antiplatelet treatment, current alcohol overuse, smoking, Glasgow Coma Scale score (GSS) at admission, volume and location (deep or lobar) of ICH, ventricular extension, glycemia and temperature at admission, and leukoaraiosis. We correlated these data with the 30-day mortality identifying the independent predictors by logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: Factors independently associated with 30-day mortality were: age, Glasgow Coma Scale score at admission, ICH volume, ventricular extension, glucose level at admission, and previous antiplatelet use.

CONCLUSIONS: Apart from the classical outcome predictors, the previous use of antiplatelet agents and the glucose value at admission are independent predictors of 30-day mortality in patients suffering a supratentorial ICH.