Baseline characteristics compared between treatments in ACS and PCS
| ACS | PCS | |||||
| DAPT (N=274) | Alteplase (N=292) | P value | DAPT (N=68) | Alteplase (N=85) | P value | |
| Age, years | 65 (58–73) | 63 (56–70) | 0.17 | 65 (54–71) | 63 (56–70) | 0.35 |
| Sex (female) | 92 (33.6) | 82 (28.1) | 0.16 | 19 (27.9) | 30 (35.3) | 0.33 |
| Current smoker | 84 (30.7) | 121 (41.4) | 0.02* | 14 (20.6) | 22 (25.9) | 0.63 |
| Current drinker† | 38 (13.9) | 57 (19.5) | 0.16 | 12 (17.6) | 9 (10.6) | 0.25 |
| Comorbidities‡ | ||||||
| Hypertension | 153 (55.8) | 136 (46.6) | 0.03* | 41 (60.3) | 48 (56.5) | 0.63 |
| Diabetes | 70 (25.5) | 79 (27.1) | 0.68 | 16 (23.5) | 22 (25.9) | 0.74 |
| Previous stroke§ | 66 (24.1) | 59 (20.2) | 0.27 | 17 (25.0) | 17 (20.0) | 0.46 |
| Previous transient ischaemic attack | 3 (1.1) | 1 (0.3) | 0.29 | 1 (1.5) | 1 (1.2) | 0.87 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0.30 | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.2) | 0.37 |
| Blood pressure at randomisation, mm Hg | ||||||
| Systolic | 148 (135–160) | 153 (139–165) | 0.06 | 151 (139–163) | 153 (140–169) | 0.65 |
| Diastolic | 87 (80–95) | 88 (80–95) | 0.78 | 88 (82–93) | 90 (80–97) | 0.46 |
| FBG at randomisation, mmol/L | 6.19 (5.37–8.14) | 6.49 (5.42–8.19) | 0.40 | 6.17 (5.53–7.81) | 6.26 (5.39–9.03) | 0.94 |
| NIHSS score at randomisation¶ | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | <0.01* | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 0.09 |
| Estimated premorbid function (mRS score)** | ||||||
| 0 | 196 (71.5) | 217 (74.3) | 0.46 | 50 (73.5) | 70 (82.4) | 0.19 |
| 1 | 78 (28.5) | 75 (25.7) | 18 (26.5) | 15 (17.6) | ||
| Time from onset to treatment, min | 191 (140–239) | 170 (125–213) | <0.01* | 185 (139–230) | 163 (122–219) | 0.48 |
| Duration of hospitalisation¶ | 8 (6–10) | 8 (6–10) | 0.73 | 9 (7–12) | 8 (7–11) | 0.54 |
| Presumed stroke cause†† | ||||||
| Large artery atherosclerosis | 32 (11.7) | 44 (15.1) | 0.56 | 12 (17.6) | 13 (15.3) | 0.48 |
| Cardioembolic | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (1.2) | ||
| Small artery occlusion | 59 (21.5) | 66 (22.7) | 14 (20.6) | 25 (29.4) | ||
| Other determined cause | 2 (0.7) | 3 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | ||
| Undetermined cause | 180 (65.7) | 178 (61.2) | 42 (61.8) | 46 (54.1) | ||
| Large vessel occlusion | 10 (3.6) | 19 (6.5) | 0.12 | 3 (4.4) | 4 (4.7) | 0.93 |
The data was shown with median (IQR) or number (percentage).
*P value<0.05.
†Defined as consuming alcohol at least once a week within 1 year prior to the onset of the disease.
‡The comorbidities were based on the patient or family report.
§Previous stroke included ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
¶NIHSS scores range from 0 to 42, with higher scores indicating more severe neurological deficit.
**Scores on the mRS of functional disability range from 0 (no symptoms) to 6 (death).
††The presumed stroke aetiology was classified according to the Trial of Org10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) using clinical findings, brain imaging, and laboratory test results. Other causes included non-atherosclerotic vasculopathies, hypercoagulable states and haematological disorder.
ACS, anterior circulation stroke; DAPT, dual antiplatelet therapy; FBG, fasting blood glucose; mRS, modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale; PCS, posterior circulation stroke.