What are the age-related differences in characteristics, performance measures, treatment trends, and outcomes for patients with ischemic stroke?
According to Fonarow et al. (2010), age-related differences in characteristics, performance measures, treatment trends, and outcomes have been observed in patients with ischemic stroke. Older patients are more likely to have hypertension, diabetes, prior stroke, and atrial fibrillation, and to be women. They are also more likely to have worse National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores at admission and to be transferred from another hospital.  Treatment trends showed that older patients were more likely to receive antithrombotic and anticoagulant medications, carotid endarterectomy, and thrombolytic therapy. Outcomes showed that older patients had lower mortality at 3 months, but lower functional independence and more disability at discharge. Furthermore, Reeves et al. (2009) found that quality of care for women with ischemic stroke in the GWTG program was worse for older patients compared to younger patients. 