Risk Factors for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Treated with...

To assess the potential early risk factors of mild cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

We prospectively enrolled patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with endovascular coiling during a 5-year period. The demographic characteristics and radiologic and laboratory data were collected. Cognitive assessments were carried out using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment at 6 months after ictus. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors associated with the development of mild cognitive impairment.

Of 152 patients, 59 patients (39%) developed cognitive impairment 6 months later. Univariate analysis showed that the patients with anterior communicating artery or anterior cerebral artery aneurysms (P < 0.001) with Glasgow Outcome Scale score of 7 or less at ictus (P = 0.002), Hunt and Hess grade of 3 or higher (P = 0.002), and Fisher grade of 3 or higher (P = 0.032) were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. The risk of mild cognitive impairment was increased for patients who had delayed cerebral ischemia (P = 0.040) and hydrocephalus (P = 0.002). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, mild cognitive impairment was independently associated with anterior communicating artery or anterior cerebral aneurysms (odds ratio [OR], 11.046; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.371-36.198; P < 0.001), delayed cerebral ischemia (OR, 6.153; 95% CI, 1.587-23.855; P = 0.009), and hydrocephalus (OR, 8.768; 95% CI, 2.115-36.345; P = 0.003).

The location of the aneurysm, delayed cerebral ischemia, and hydrocephalus were independently associated with the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and can contribute to improved identification of patients at high risk for mild cognitive impairment.