The effect of aortic arch calcification on in-hospital mortality in patients with hemorrhagic stroke

Abstract

Background & Objective: The association between calcifications in the aortic arch and cardiovascular, particularly cerebrovascular, diseases has been widely discussed in the literature. This study aims to investigate the impact of the severity of aortic arch calcification on mortality and morbidity in patients who have experienced a hemorrhagic stroke.

Methods: The study included 187 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Clinical, demographic, echocardiographic, and laboratory characteristics of patients who presented to the hospital within the first 24 hours were obtained from hospital discharge summaries and records. The study examined whether there was a difference in the severity of aortic arch calcification between survivors and the in-hospital mortality group. Additionally, the relationship between the severity of aortic arch calcification and morbidity, hemorrhage volume, and localization was investigated.

Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were found to be lower in the mortality group (p < 0.05). In the mortality group, total cholesterol, ejection fraction (EF), and platelet count (PLT) were significantly lower, while glucose, creatinine, NIHSS score, and modified Rankin score were significantly higher (p<0.05). Other epidemiological factors and risk factors did not differ from the surviving group (p>0.05). Aortic arch calcification was found to have no significant impact on mortality, morbidity, hemorrhage volume, or hemorrhage localization (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Vascular calcification is an important risk factor for stroke. Calcifications in large vessels like the aorta are expected to also develop in relatively smaller cerebral vessels. While increased vascular calcification heightens the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, higher severity of aortic arch calcification does not contribute additional risk for mortality in cases of hemorrhagic stroke.