This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Objective We initiated a multicenter, prospective cohort study to test the hypothesis that aspirin is safe for patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) harboring unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) <7 mm.
Methods This prospective, multicenter cohort study consecutively enrolled 1,866 eligible patients with ICVD harboring UIAs <7 mm in diameter from 4 hospitals between January 2016 and August 2019. Baseline and follow-up patient information, including the use of aspirin, was recorded. The primary endpoint was aneurysm rupture.
Results After a total of 4,411.4 person-years, 643 (37.2%) patients continuously received aspirin treatment. Of all included patients, rupture occurred in 12 (0.7%). The incidence rate for rupture (IRR) was 0.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.48) per 100 person-years. The IRRs were 0.39 (95% CI 0.21–0.72) and 0.06 (95% CI 0.010–0.45) per 100 person-years for the nonaspirin and aspirin groups, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, uncontrolled hypertension and UIAs 5 to <7 mm were associated with a high rate of aneurysm rupture, whereas aspirin use was associated with a low rate of aneurysm rupture. Compared with other groups, the high-risk group (UIAs 5 to <7 mm with concurrent uncontrolled hypertension) without aspirin had higher IRRs.
Conclusion Aspirin is a safe treatment for patients with concurrent small UIAs and ICVD. Patients who are not taking aspirin in the high-risk group warrant intensive surveillance.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02846259.
Classification of Evidence This study provides Class III evidence that for patients harboring UIAs <7 mm with ICVD, aspirin does not increase the risk of aneurysm rupture.
Glossary
- CI=
- confidence interval;
- DBP=
- diastolic blood pressure;
- HR=
- hazard ratio;
- ICVD=
- ischemic cerebrovascular disease;
- IRR=
- incidence rate for rupture;
- PROTECT-U=
- Prospective Randomized Open-Label Trial to Evaluate Risk Factor Management in Patients With Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms;
- SAH=
- subarachnoid hemorrhage;
- SBP=
- systolic blood pressure;
- UIA=
- unruptured intracranial aneurysm
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
Coinvestigators are listed in appendix 2.
Class of Evidence: NPub.org/coe
CME Course: NPub.org/cmelist
- Received February 21, 2020.
- Accepted in final form August 12, 2020.
- © 2020 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
