Abstract Body: Background: Elevated blood pressure variability (BPV) has been associated with worse outcomes in stroke survivors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between systolic and diastolic BPV and post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) in patients with acute cardioembolic stroke due to atrial fibrillation.
Methods: Using data from a prospective stroke registry, we consecutively enrolled 143 patients with acute cardioembolic stroke. Cognitive function was evaluated three months post-stroke using the Korean version of the Vascular Cognitive Impairment Harmonization Standards. PSCI was defined as a z-score of less than -2 standard deviations for age, sex, and education-adjusted means in at least one cognitive domain. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between BPV during the first 7 days of admission and PSCI, adjusting for age, sex, education, vascular risk factors, initial stroke severity, and neuroimaging characteristics.
Results: Among the 143 participants (mean age 70 years; 60.1% male; median initial NIHSS score of 5), PSCI was identified in 67 patients (46.9%). The standard deviations of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significant predictors of PSCI (aOR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01–1.17 and aOR 1.14; 95% CI 1.01–1.29, respectively). The mean values of both SBP and DBP were also significantly associated with PSCI.
Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that both systolic and diastolic BPV in the acute phase of cardioembolic ischemic stroke are independently associated with PSCI at three months. These results underscore the importance of monitoring and managing blood pressure variability in the acute stroke setting to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.