Additional Stroke-Related and Non–Stroke-Related Cardiovascular Costs and Hospitalizations in Managed-Care Patients After Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Prior stroke confers an increased risk of future cardiovascular events. Because the incremental economic impact of this added risk is unknown, we assessed the additional cardiovascular costs and hospitalizations associated with ischemic stroke. Methods— Patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke during 2002 to 2005 were identified from a large US managed-care plan and matched to control patients hospitalized for a noncardiovascular acute event. Cumulative stroke-related and non–stroke-related cardiovascular medical costs were determined for each group. Stroke and nonstroke cardiovascular hospitalization rates were calculated with the Kaplan–Meier method; risk of hospitalization was estimated with a Cox regression model. Results— Stroke patients and matched controls (N=11 883) were identified (mean age ≈58 years; 47.8% female). Compared with controls, patients hospitalized for ischemic stroke had higher stroke and nonstroke cardiovascular medical costs at 6 months (stroke: $1756 vs $...