Medical Student Wake Forest Castro Valley, California, United States
Introduction: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) can be used as a marker for arterial stiffness and has been shown to demonstrate risk of cardiovascular events including intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and overall cardiovascular health. The effect of statins on arterial stiffness have shown controversial results; most studies demonstrate a decreased PWV due to decreasing atherosclerotic risk factors. This present study aims to identify the association between statin use on PWV in patients with ICH.
Methods: Patients in the prospective Arterial Stiffness Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ASICH) database collected between July 2021-Oct 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Statin use was defined as routine at-home medication use for at least 2 weeks prior to the arterial stiffness measurement. A linear regression model was built to examine whether statin use predicted PWV while controlling for age, sex, and intubation status.
Results: A total of 59 patients had PWV measurements completed between the period; 27 patients on statins and 32 not on statins. 18 males (47.4%) and 9 females (45%) were on statins with an average age of 70.5 for those on statins and 67.5 for those not on statins. Patients on statins were found to have a significantly higher PWV (9.2 ± 1.9) compared to those not on statins (7.3 ± 2.4) (p = 0.032) when controlling for age, sex, and intubation status.
Conclusion : Statin use was associated with an increased PWV in an ICH population. This may be an underlying reason for the apparent increased risk for rehemorrhage seen in ICH patients. While other studies have shown statins to be beneficial for arterial stiffness and atherosclerotic risk, there may be inherent differences with patients who present with ICH versus ischemic stroke and requires further study.
