Differences in Presentation of Ischaemic and Haemorrhagic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Stroke is the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide. Stroke is diagnosed by the combination of clinical symptoms and signs, and neuroimaging. Clinical features may differ between the subtypes of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. We investigated whether there are differences in clinical presentation of acute ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PRISMA statement. Inclusion criteria were (1) cohort, cross-sectional, case-control, randomised controlled trial, systematic review or meta-analysis; (2) consecutive admissions of adult individuals with an acute ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, confirmed by neuroimaging and (3) comparisons possible between stroke subtypes in acute stroke symptom(s). A random-effects model was used for our analyses. Results We included 58 studies (n=12,878,716; ischaemic stroke=10,814,293; haemorrhagic stroke=2,064,423). The mean age of participants was 65.54+13.84 with 44.98% women. In haemorrhagic stroke, altered GCS occurred more frequently than in ischaemic stroke (OR, 3.93 [95% CI, 2.81–5.49]; AIS/ICH=382,110/59,877, 40 studies), as did headache (OR, 3.34 [95% CI, 2.68–4.17]; AIS/ICH=22,413/6,018; 43 studies), seizure (OR, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.62–3.65]; AIS/ICH=10,427,262/2,004,681; 20 studies), vomiting (OR, 3.82 [95% CI, 2.62–5.57]; AIS/ICH=7,736/3,225; 25 studies), neck stiffness (OR, 5.21 [95% CI, 2.22–12.21]; AIS/ICH=511/168; 3 studies), syncope (OR, 2.95 [95% CI, 2.12–4.12]; AIS/ICH=2,427/494; 6 studies) and dizziness (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.05–1.68]; AIS/ICH=4,730/1,213; 11 studies). Hemiplegia occurred more frequently in ischaemic stroke (OR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.49–0.91]; AIS/ICH=15,857/4,338; 31 studies) than haemorrhagic stroke, as did ataxia (OR, 0.73 [95% CI, 0.61–0.86]; AIS/ICH=7,741/2,244; 8 studies) and morning onset (OR, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.32– 0.54]; AIS/ICH=2,721/495; 4 studies). Conclusion This review focused on synthesizing existing evidence on differences in clinical presentation between ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. It suggests there are substantive differences in stroke symptoms between these subtypes. These results may provide insights into future directions for clinical prediction tool development.