Background and Purpose Epidemiologic studies of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have consistently demonstrated variation in incidence, location, age at presentation, and outcomes among non-Hispanic white, black, and Hispanic populations. We report here the design and methods for this large, prospective, multi-center case-control study of ICH. Methods The ERICH study is a multi-center, prospective case-control study of ICH. Cases are identified by hot-pursuit and enrolled using standard phenotype and risk factor information and include neuroimaging and blood sample collection. Controls are centrally identified by random digit dialing to match cases by age (+/−5 years), race, ethnicity, gender and metropolitan region. Results As of March 22, 2013, 1,655 cases of ICH had been recruited into the study which is 101.5% of the target for that date and 851 controls had been recruited which is 67.2% of the target for that date (1,267 controls) for a total of 2,506 subjects which is 86.5% of the target for that date (2,897 subjects). Of the 1,655 cases enrolled, 1,640 cases had the case interview entered into the database of which 628 (38%) were non-Hispanic black, 458 (28%) were non-Hispanic white and 554 (34%) were Hispanic. Of the 1,197 cases with imaging submitted, 876 (73.2%) had a 24 hour follow-up CT available In addition to CT imaging, 607 cases have had MRI evaluation. Conclusion The ERICH study is a large, case-control study of ICH with particular emphasis on recruitment of minority populations for the identification of genetic and epidemiologic risk factors for ICH and outcomes after ICH.

Objective: To evaluate the associations among diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) lesions, blood pressure (BP) dysregulation, MRI markers of small vessel disease, and poor outcome in a large, prospective study of primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods:The Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ERICH) study is a multicenter, observational study of ICH among white, black, and Hispanic patients.Results: Of 600 patients, mean (6SD) age was 60.8 6 13.6 years, median (interquartile range) ICH volume was 9.1 mL (3.5-20.8), and 79.6% had hypertension. Overall, 26.5% of cases had DWI lesions, and this frequency differed by race/ethnicity (black 33.8%, Hispanic 24.9%, white 20.2%, overall p 5 0.006). A logistic regression model of variables associated with DWI lesions included lower age (odds ratio [OR] 0.721, p 5 0.002), higher first recorded systolic BP (10-unit OR 1.12, p 5 0.002), greater change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) prior to the MRI (10-unit OR 1.10, p 5 0.037), microbleeds (OR 1.99, p 5 0.008), and higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) score (1-unit OR 1.16, p 5 0.002) after controlling for race/ethnicity, leukocyte count, and acute in-hospital antihypertensive treatment. A second model of variables associated with poor 90-day functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale scores 4-6) included DWI lesion count (OR 1.085, p 5 0.034) as well as age, ICH volume, intraventricular hemorrhage, Glasgow Coma Scale score, WMH score, race/ethnicity, acute in-hospital antihypertensive treatment, and ICH location. Conclusions:These results support the hypotheses that acute BP dysregulation is associated with the development of DWI lesions in primary ICH and that DWI lesions are, in turn, associated with poor outcomes. Neurology ® 2017;88:782-788 GLOSSARY ADC 5 apparent diffusion coefficient; BP 5 blood pressure; CAA 5 cerebral amyloid angiopathy; DWI 5 diffusion-weighted imaging; ERICH 5 Ethnic/Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage; FLAIR 5 fluid-attenuated inversion recovery; GCS 5 Glasgow Coma Scale; GRE 5 gradient recalled echo; ICH 5 intracerebral hemorrhage; INTERACT2 5 Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage 2; IVH 5 intraventricular hemorrhage; MAP 5 mean arterial pressure; mRS 5 modified Rankin Scale; SBP 5 systolic blood pressure; SWI 5 susceptibility-weighted imaging; WMH 5 white matter hyperintensity.Primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the second most common cause of stroke, affecting over 1 million people worldwide each year.1,2 ICH causes significantly greater morbidity and mortality than ischemic stroke. Hypertension is the most common risk factor for ICH. Elevated blood pressure (BP), often at extreme levels, frequently occurs in the hyperacute and acute phases of primary ICH and is associated with hemorrhage expansion and poor outcome. 3,4 Several recent trials have sought to determine whether intensive lowering of BP acutely improves outcomes in patients with ICH. 5-10Over the last several years, a growing number of studies have characte...