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. 2023 Mar;13(3):e2906.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.2906. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

Prevalence and clinical predictors of spasticity after intracerebral hemorrhage

Ling-Yi Liao  1 , Pei-Dong Xu  2 , Xiang-Qin Fang  1 , Qing-Hua Wang  1 , Yong Tao  1 , Huan Cheng  1 , Chang-Yue Gao  1
Affiliations

Prevalence and clinical predictors of spasticity after intracerebral hemorrhage

Ling-Yi Liao et al. Brain Behav. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background: Spasticity is a common complication of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). However, no consensus exists on the relation between spasticity and initial clinical findings after ICH.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled adult patients with a history of ICH between January 2012 and October 2020. The modified Ashworth scale was used to assess spasticity. A trained image analyst traced all ICH lesions. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between ICH lesion sites and spasticity.

Results: We finally analyzed 304 patients (mean age 54.86 ± 12.93 years; 72.04% men). The incidence of spasticity in patients with ICH was 30.92%. Higher National Institutes of Health stroke scale (NIHSS) scores were associated with an increased predicted probability for spasticity (odds ratio, OR = 1.153 [95% confidence interval, CI 1.093-1.216], p < .001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower age, higher NIHSS scores, and drinking were associated with an increased risk of moderate-to-severe spasticity (OR = 0.965 [95% CI 0.939-0.992], p = .013; OR = 1.068 [95% CI 1.008-1.130], p = .025; OR = 4.809 [95% CI 1.671-13.840], p = .004, respectively). However, smoking and ICH in the thalamus were associated with a reduced risk of moderate-to-severe spasticity (OR = 0.200 [95% CI 0.071-0.563], p = .002; OR = 0.405 [95% CI 0.140-1.174], p = .046, respectively) compared with ICH in the basal ganglia.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that ICH lesion locations are at least partly associated with post-stroke spasticity rather than the latter simply being a physiological reaction to ICH itself. The predictors for spasticity after ICH were age, NIHSS scores, past medical history, and ICH lesion sites.

Keywords: cerebral hemorrhage; muscle spasticity; rehabilitation; stroke.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

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