J Neurol

Does multiple sclerosis increase risk of stroke?

April 18, 2024

In this meta-analysis of 13 observational studies comprising 146,381 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, MS was found to be associated with an increased risk for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Future, well-designed epidemiological studies are warranted to corroborate the robustness of the present findings in the MS population.

• The pooled prevalence of all-cause stroke was 2.7%, with the relative risk (RR) of all-cause stroke being higher in MS patients compared to the general population (RR, 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.97-3.29).
• Subgroup analyses per stroke subtype revealed a pooled acute ischemic stroke (AIS) prevalence of 2.1% and a pooled intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) prevalence of 0.6%. Compared to the general population, patients with MS were found to have an increased risk for AIS (RR, 2.79; 95% CI, 2.27-3.41) and ICH (RR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.04-5.11), respectively.
• The pooled prevalence of CV risk factors in MS patients was 11.5% for dyslipidemia, 18.2% for hypertension and 5.4% for diabetes.

Source:

Stefanou MI, et al. (2024, April 4). J Neurol. Prevalence and epidemiology of stroke in patients with multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38573365/