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ABSTRACT: Background and purpose
In previous studies, women had a higher risk of rupture of intracranial aneurysms than men, but female sex was not an independent risk factor. This may be explained by a higher prevalence of patient- or aneurysm-related risk factors for rupture in women than in men or by insufficient power of previous studies. We assessed sex differences in rupture rate taking into account other patient- and aneurysm-related risk factors for aneurysmal rupture.Methods
We searched Embase and Pubmed for articles published until December 1, 2020. Cohorts with available individual patient data were included in our meta-analysis. We compared rupture rates of women versus men using a Cox proportional hazard regression model adjusted for the PHASES score (Population, Hypertension, Age, Size of Aneurysm, Earlier Subarachnoid Hemorrhage From Another Aneurysm, Site of Aneurysm), smoking, and a positive family history of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.Results
We pooled individual patient data from 9 cohorts totaling 9940 patients (6555 women, 66%) with 12 193 unruptured intracranial aneurysms, and 24 357 person-years follow-up. Rupture occurred in 163 women (rupture rate 1.04%/person-years [95% CI, 0.89-1.21]) and 63 men (rupture rate 0.74%/person-years [95% CI, 0.58-0.94]). Women were older (61.9 versus 59.5 years), were less often smokers (20% versus 44%), more often had internal carotid artery aneurysms (24% versus 17%), and larger sized aneurysms (≥7 mm, 24% versus 23%) than men. The unadjusted women-to-men hazard ratio was 1.43 (95% CI, 1.07-1.93) and the adjusted women/men ratio was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.02-1.90).Conclusions
Women have a higher risk of aneurysmal rupture than men and this sex difference is not explained by differences in patient- and aneurysm-related risk factors for aneurysmal rupture. Future studies should focus on the factors explaining the higher risk of aneurysmal rupture in women.
SUBMITTER: Zuurbier CCM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8785514 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Zuurbier Charlotte C M CCM Molenberg Rob R Mensing Liselore A LA Wermer Marieke J H MJH Juvela Seppo S Lindgren Antti E AE Jääskeläinen Juha E JE Koivisto Timo T Yamazaki Tomosato T Uyttenboogaart Maarten M van Dijk J Marc C JMC Aalbers Marlien W MW Morita Akio A Tominari Shinjiro S Arai Hajime H Nozaki Kazuhiko K Murayama Yuichi Y Ishibashi Toshihiro T Takao Hiroyuki H Gondar Renato R Bijlenga Philippe P Rinkel Gabriel J E GJE Greving Jacoba P JP Ruigrok Ynte M YM
Stroke 20220105 2
<h4>Background and purpose</h4>In previous studies, women had a higher risk of rupture of intracranial aneurysms than men, but female sex was not an independent risk factor. This may be explained by a higher prevalence of patient- or aneurysm-related risk factors for rupture in women than in men or by insufficient power of previous studies. We assessed sex differences in rupture rate taking into account other patient- and aneurysm-related risk factors for aneurysmal rupture.<h4>Methods</h4>We se ...[more]