Sex Differences in Outcomes of Intravenous Thrombolysis in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Preadmission Use of Antiplatelets

AIM: To compare safety and functional outcomes of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) between females and males with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) in relation to preadmission use of antiplatelets. METHODS: Multicentre cohort study of patients admitted from 1 January 2014 to 31 January 2020 to hospitals participating in the Swiss Stroke Registry, presenting with AIS and receiving IVT. Primary safety outcome was in-hospital symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH). Primary functional outcome was functional independence at 3 months after discharge. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between sex and each outcome according to preadmission use of antiplatelets. RESULTS: The study included 4996 patients (42.51 % females, older than males, median age 79 vs 71 years, p < 0.0001). Comparable proportions of females (39.92 %) and males (40.39 %) used antiplatelets before admission (p = 0.74). In total, 3.06 % females and 2.47 % males developed in-hospital sICH (p = 0.19), with similar odds (adjusted odds ratio, [AOR] 0.93, 95 % confidence interval, [CI] 0.63-1.39). No interaction was found between sex and preadmission use of either single or dual antiplatelets in relation to in-hospital sICH (p = 0.94 and p = 0.23). Males had higher odds of functional independence at 3 months (AOR 1.34, 95 % CI 1.09-1.65), regardless of preadmission use of antiplatelets (interaction between sex and preadmission use of either single or dual antiplatelets p = 0.41 and p = 0.58). CONCLUSION: No sex differences were observed in the safety of IVT regarding preadmission use of antiplatelets. Males showed more favourable 3-month functional independence than females; however, this sex difference was apparently not explained by a sex-specific mechanism related to preadmission use of antiplatelets.