Table 1.
Patient characteristics.
| All participants (n = 555) | Women (n = 208) | Men (n = 347) | Statistical comparison of male and female patients | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 65.0 (14.8) | 67.7 (16.3) | 63.3 (13.5) | p = 0.001* |
| Sex | 62% male, 38% female | — | — | — |
| NIHSS | 5.0 (5.9) (median(iqr): 3(6)) | 5.6 (6.6) (median(iqr): 3(6)) | 4.7 (5.5) (median(iqr): 3(5)) | p = 0.09 |
| Normalized DWI-derived stroke lesion volume (ml) | 13.7 (29.9) (median(iqr): 1.7(11.6)) | 13.6 (31.8) (median(iqr): 1.5(9.7)) | 13.7 (28.7) (median(iqr): 1.7(13.2)) | p = 0.98 |
| White matter hyperintensity lesion volume (ml) | 11.5 (13.5) | 12.1 (13.3) | 11.1 (13.6) | p = 0.42 |
| Hypertension | 28.1% | 29.3% | 27.4% | p = 0.63 |
| Diabetes mellitus type 2 | 19.5% | 17.8% | 20.5% | p = 0.51 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 6.3% | 9.1% | 4.6% | p = 0.05* |
| Coronary artery disease | 7.6% | 6.7% | 8.1% | p = 0.62 |
Mean (SD) unless otherwise noted. The groups of male and female patients were compared via two-sample t tests or two-sided Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. Asterisks indicate significant differences between men and women. The disproportionate representation of men and women may reflect an undersampling of female patients as frequently observed in randomized clinical stroke trials87, and may largely stem from the noninclusion of elderly and more severely affected female patients.