Intravenous Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients With History of Stroke Plus Diabetes Mellitus

Background and Purpose— Acute ischemic stroke patients with history of prior ischemic stroke plus concomitant diabetes mellitus (DM) were excluded from the ECASS III trial (European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study) because of safety concerns. However, there are few data on use of intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage or outcomes in this population. Methods— Using data from the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Registry between February 2009 and September 2017 (n=1619 hospitals), we examined characteristics and outcomes among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with tissue-type plasminogen activator within the 3- to 4.5-hour window who had a history of stroke plus diabetes mellitus (HxS+DM) (n=2129) versus those without either history (n=16 690). Results— Compared with patients without either history, those with both prior stroke and DM treated with tissue-type plasminogen activator after an acute ischemic stroke had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in addition to history of stroke, DM, and more severe stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: median, 8 [interquartile range, 5–15] versus 7 [4–13]). The unadjusted rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and in-hospital mortality were 4.3% (HxS+DM) versus 3.8% (without either history;P =0.31) and 6.2% versus 5.5% (P =0.20), respectively. These differences were not statistically significant after risk adjustment (symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage: adjusted odds ratio, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.51–1.21];P =0.28; in-hospital mortality: odds ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.52–1.14];P =0.19). Unadjusted rate of functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score, 0–2) at discharge was lower in those with HxS+DM (30.9% HxS+DM versus 44.8% without either history;P ≤0.0001), and this difference persisted after adjusting for baseline clinical factors (adjusted odds ratio, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.59–0.99];P =0.04).Conclusions— Among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator within the 3- to 4.5-hour window, HxS+DM was not associated with statistically significant increased symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage or mortality risk.