Abstract
Background
The relationship between poststroke blood pressure (BP) and clinical outcomes in ischemic stroke (IS) is still controversial. However, there is no large BP database for IS or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in China. This study aims to describe the rationale, study design, and baseline characteristics of a nationwide BP database in IS or TIA patients in China.
Materials and methods
The BOSS (blood pressure and clinical outcome in TIA or ischemic stroke) study was a hospital-based, prospective cohort study aiming to assess BP parameters and clinical outcome in IS/TIA patients. BP parameters were based on office BP, ambulatory BP, and home BP. Clinical outcomes included stroke recurrence, combined vascular events, and disability. Electronic case-report forms were used to record baseline and follow-up data. The patients were followed up for clinical outcomes at 3 months through face-to-face interview and at 12 months by telephone.
Results
Between October 2012 and February 2014, the BOSS registry recruited 2,608 patients from 61 hospitals, with a mean age of 62.5 years, 32.4% of whom were female, 88.9% with an entry diagnosis of IS, and 86% diagnosed with hypertension. The rates of patients lost-to-follow-up were 3.1% at 3 months and 5.1% at 1 year; 93% of patients completed ambulatory BP monitoring during hospitalization and 94.7% finished a 3-month BP diary.
Conclusion
The BOSS registry will provide important evidence about BP management in the acute phase and secondary prevention for IS/TIA patients.
Supplementary materials
Figure S1 Design of the BOSS study.
Abbreviations: BOSS, blood pressure and clinical outcome in TIA or ischemic stroke; BP, blood pressure; OBP, office BP; ABPM, ambulatory BP monitoring; HBPM, home BPM; TIA, transient ischemic attack.
Table S1 Participating hospital information
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the top three hospitals that enrolled the most cases for the BOSS study: Xi’an 141 Hospital (Qiuwu Liu), Changzhi People’s Hospital (Lili Zhao), and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Yuming Xu). The study was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (2011BAI08B01 and 2013BAI09B03) and a grant from Beijing Municipal Administration of Hospitals’ Youth Program (QML2015 0504). This study was also funded by AstraZeneca, which did not participate in the proposal design, implementation, or statistical analysis.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.