Sex Differences in Prescription, Initiation, and Discontinuation of Secondary Prevention Medications After Stroke | Stroke
BACKGROUND: Women less frequently receive secondary prevention medications at discharge poststroke than men. It is unclear whether similar sex differences exist in the long term poststroke, after accounting for age and clinical characteristics. We aimed to evaluate sex differences in medication prescription, initiation, and discontinuation poststroke or transient ischemic attack. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study using person-level linked data from the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (42 hospitals; Victoria and Queensland; 2012–2016). We included all adults with first-ever ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or transient ischemic attack who survived >60 days post-discharge. For each major class of secondary prevention medication (antihypertensive, antithrombotic, or lipid lowering), we evaluated sex differences in prescription at hospital discharge, initiation within 60 days, and discontinuation within 2 years post-discharge. Sex differences were assessed using multivari
