Relationship between allergic asthma and cerebrovascular accident: allergic asthma can increase recurrence of stroke.

Introduction: Adult asthma as inflammatory-based disease can be an independent risk factor for stroke.

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between adult asthma and cerebrovascular accident.

Material and methods: 120 patients (asthma stroke, asthma non-stroke, and non-asthma stroke groups) who were matched for age and gender were included in this prospective cohort study to observe pulmonary function changes and recurrence rate of stroke among asthmatic patients during 6-month follow-up after first even after first even stroke.

Results: In the asthma stroke group, post stroke forced vital capacity (FVC) (3.04 ±0.13 vs. 2.58 ±0.15, p = 0.006), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (2.68 ±0.15 vs. 2.01 ±0.12, p = 0.02), FEV1/FVC (0.88 ±0.03 vs. 0.77 ±0.02, p = 0.001), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) (74.05 ±5.36 vs. 56.57 ±3.83, p = 0.001), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) (88.30 ±3.65 vs. 71.42 ±3.98, p = 0.001) and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) (446.32 ±47.56 vs. 338.62 ±28.85, p = 0.001) were significantly decreased in comparison to before stroke. Also, stroke recurrence was 32.5% in the asthma stroke group and 12.5% in the non-asthma stroke group, which was significantly higher in the asthma stroke group (p = 0.001). Comparison of pulmonary function showed that all FVC (2.58 ±0.15 vs. 3.36 ±0.14, p = 0.001), FEV1 (2.01 ±0.12 vs. 2.73 ±0.16, p = 0.001), FEV1/FVC (0.77 ±0.02 vs. 0.81 ±0.03, p = 0.001), MIP (56.57 ±3.83 vs. 70.62 ±2.77, p = 0.001), MEP (71.42 ±3.98 vs. 85.97 ±2.31, p = 0.001) and 6MWT (338.62 ±28.85 vs. 385.67 ±29.82, p = 0.001) in the asthma stroke group were significantly decreased in comparison to the non-asthma stroke group.

Conclusions: FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, MIP, MEP and 6MWT were significantly decreased in allergic asthma patients after stroke, also adult asthma can increase the risk of recurrence of risk of stroke in asthmatic stroke patients.