Factors associated with in-hospital case fatality following spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage among young ghanaians: findings from a hospital-based stroke registry

BACKGROUND: The incidence of spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage (sICH) in Low-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) has risen steeply over the past decade, with a relatively earlier age of onset and higher rates of adverse outcomes compared to the rest of the world. AIM: To determine the factors associated with in-hospital case fatality among patients aged ≤ 50 years with spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage, admitted to a Ghanaian tertiary Hospital. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study among individuals aged 18-50 years admitted with Intracerebral Hemorrhage to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital over 2 years, from 2022 to 2023. Multivariable Logistic regression was performed to determine the factors associated with ICH-related case fatality during hospital admission. Survival was compared across categories of explanatory variables using the Kaplan-Meier curve. Predictors of time to death were identified using the Cox regression model. RESULTS: 46.2% (190 out of 411) of all ICH cases were aged ≤ 50 years, with the majority (63.7%) of those affected in this age group being male. The overall case fatality rate among hospitalized patients in this age group was 27.4% (52 out of 190). The factors independently associated with in-hospital case fatality were the presence of aspiration pneumonia (aOR 6.00 (2.47-15.46), p=0.000), NIHSS score at the time of admission (aOR 1.16 (1.08-1.24), p=0.000), and the presence of neuroimaging features of raised intracranial pressure (aOR 2.66 (1.04-7.00), p=0.044). Independent predictors of time to death included the presence of aspiration pneumonia (aOR 3.51 (1.44-8.55), p=0.004) and NIHSS score (aOR 1.07 (1.01-1.13), p=1.27e-08). CONCLUSIONS: Up to 1 in 4 young Ghanaian patients succumb to spontaneous ICH during hospitalization. Prevention, prompt detection, and management of complications, notably aspiration pneumonia during the acute phase of admission, may significantly reduce ICH-related mortality among young individuals in our setting.