Effect of Race–Ethnicity and CT Angiography on Renal Injury During Blood Pressure Treatment for Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Abstract
Background Lowering blood pressure intensively in acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with adverse renal events; Blacks and Hispanics have a higher incidence of ICH and kidney disease than Whites. In addition, CT angiography (CTA), which may also be associated with acute kidney injury (AKI), is often done in acute ICH. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between aggressive BP management, CTA, race–ethnicity and the risk of developing AKI in patients presenting with ICH. Methods We retrospectively calculated the difference between the highest and lowest systolic blood pressure during the first 24 h of admission in patients with spontaneous ICH over 30 months. Creatinine (Cr) levels at admission were compared to the highest Cr level during the first 7 days after admission. AKI was defined as any > 50% increase of baseline Cr during the first 7 days. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between race–ethnicity and CTA and AKI. We also analyzed the incidence of AKI stratified by race–ethnicity. Results A total of 394 patients were included (mean age ± SD 63 ± 14 years), 160 patients (41%) were women, 162 (41%) Hispanic, 39 (10%) White and 189 (48%) Black. Most of the patients underwent CTA (73%). The prevalence of AKI was (18%), but no difference was found in AKI incidence (19% in Blacks vs. 17% in Whites vs. 18% in Hispanics (p = 0.940). In fully adjusted models, AKI was not associated with race–ethnicity (p = 0.665) or CTA (p = 0.187). The stratified analysis by race–ethnicity did not change our findings. Conclusion We found no association between race–ethnicity or CTA and AKI during the acute management of ICH in a real-life stroke population. Our findings suggest that CTA can be safely obtained in acute ICH, even in populations of diverse race–ethnicity who may be more prone to adverse kidney events. CTA did not contribute to developing AKI.