Association Between Aspirin-induced Hemoglobin Decline and Outcome After Acute Ischemic Stroke in G6PD-deficient Patients

Aims: The risk of hemoglobin decline induced by low-dose aspirin in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency remains unknown, and its influence on stroke outcome remains to be investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of G6PD deficiency on hemoglobin level during aspirin treatment and its association with outcome after acute ischemic stroke.

Methods: In total, 279 patients (40 G6PD-deficient and 239 G6PD-normal) with acute ischemic stroke treated with aspirin 100 mg/day from a cohort study were examined. The primary safety endpoint was a hemoglobin decline ≥25 g/L or 25% from baseline within 14 days after aspirin treatment. Poor outcomes were defined as a modified Rankin Scale score ≥2 at 3 months. The χ test was used to compare stroke outcomes, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the association between hemoglobin level and outcomes.

Results: The G6PD-deficient group had lower baseline hemoglobin and tended to develop comorbid pulmonary infection more frequently (p < 0.05). The proportion of patients with hemoglobin decline ≥25 g/L or 25% from baseline (15.0% vs. 3.3%; p = 0.006) and anemia (30.0% vs. 14.6%; p = 0.016) after aspirin treatment was higher in the G6PD-deficient group, which was accompanied by a more significant bilirubin increase. The rate of poor functional outcomes at 3 months after acute ischemic stroke was higher in the G6PD-deficient group (Risk ratio = 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-1.56]; p = 0.017). Confounder-adjusted analysis showed that lower hemoglobin levels (odds ratio = 0.98 [95% CI = 0.96-0.99]; adjusted p = 0.009) increased the risk of poor functional outcomes.

Conclusion: Hemoglobin decrease with bilirubin increase after aspirin treatment in patients with G6PD deficiency suggests hemolysis, which may influence stroke prognosis. The risk of hemoglobin decline should be carefully monitored in G6PD-deficient patients with ischemic stroke taking aspirin.