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The manufacturer-funded SPARCL Study (Journal Watch Cardiology Aug 30 2006) was the first randomized trial to demonstrate that atorvastatin reduces the risk for subsequent stroke after recent stroke or transient ischemic attack. Although the results were convincing, concerns were raised when post-hoc analyses demonstrated an increased risk for hemorrhagic stroke in the atorvastatin arm. With the present analysis, SPARCL investigators sought to determine predictors of hemorrhagic stroke in the study cohort.
Nearly 5000 patients were included in the analysis, 88 of whom experienced hemorrhagic stroke during follow-up. In multivariable models, factors significantly associated with subsequent hemorrhagic stroke were atorvastatin treatment (hazar…