Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

BACKGROUND: Acute ischaemic stroke is common in older people. There is one licensed acute treatment, intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, but little information is available on its safety in over 80 year olds. DESIGN: Review of prospectively collected data on 62 consecutive patients, aged 80 years and over, treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in a tertiary centre. METHODS: Admission demographic data, clinical and CT stroke severity, symptomatic haemorrhage rate and other complications were compared between patients who were dead at 3 months and those who survived. Discharge location and functional scores outcome were reviewed. The results were compared to those of other studies. RESULTS: The in-hospital death rate was 24.2% and 3 month mortality 32.8%. Patients that died had higher stroke severity scores at presentation (NIHSS 20 versus 16, P = 0.04). Six patients (9.7%) suffered symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (SICH), three were classified as fatal (4.8%). SICH was significantly associated with death by 3 months (P = 0.02). There were no other serious bleeding complications. The SICH rate is similar to that from other thrombolytic studies and the mortality rate is similar to the natural history of stroke in older populations. CONCLUSION: Older patients have high mortality and morbidity from stroke. Older patients should not be excluded from recombinant tissue plasminogen activator treatment on the basis of age alone.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/ageing/afh031

Type

Journal article

Journal

Age Ageing

Publication Date

03/2004

Volume

33

Pages

143 - 149

Keywords

Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Female, Fibrinolytic Agents, Humans, Injections, Intravenous, Male, Prospective Studies, Retrospective Studies, Stroke, Survival Analysis, Thrombolytic Therapy, Tissue Plasminogen Activator, Treatment Outcome