Frailty and Early Mortality following Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

INTRODUCTION

Prognostication in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is vital for effective clinical decision-making but can be challenging. Frailty - the loss of physiological reserve to withstand stressor events - is a risk factor for poor outcomes after ischemic stroke, yet its role in ICH remains poorly understood. This study investigates whether frailty is independently associated with 28-day mortality following ICH.

METHODS

A validated pre-stroke frailty index (FI) was measured for individuals presenting with ICH, yielding a FI of 0-1. The relationship between 28-day mortality and FI was assessed using multivariable logistic regression adjusting for age, neurosurgical intervention, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), and ICH volume.

RESULTS

Forty (34.5%) of 116 individuals with ICH died within 28 days. Frailty was independently associated with 28-day mortality, with each 0.1 increase in FI independently associated with an adjusted odds ratio of death of 1.09 (95% CI: 1.01-1.18). ICH volume was also independently associated with mortality (aOR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.06 per 10 mL increase). In contrast, age and neurosurgical intervention were not independently associated with mortality in our cohort.

CONCLUSION

Higher pre-stroke frailty is independently associated with early mortality following spontaneous ICH, indicating the potential of frailty evaluation to inform prognostication and clinical decision-making.