OBJECTIVE Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is characterized by ventriculomegaly, gait difficulty, incontinence, and dementia. The symptoms can be ameliorated by CSF drainage. The object of this study was to identify factors associated with shunt-responsive iNPH. METHODS The authors reviewed the medical records of 529 patients who underwent shunt placement for iNPH at their institution between July 2001 and March 2015. Variables associated with shunt-responsive iNPH were identified using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Detailed alcohol consumption information was obtained for 328 patients and was used to examine the relationship between alcohol and shunt-responsive iNPH. A computerized patient registry from 2 academic medical centers was queried to determine the prevalence of alcohol abuse among 1665 iNPH patients. RESULTS Bivariate analysis identified associations between shunt-responsive iNPH and gait difficulty (OR 4.59, 95% CI 2.32-9.09; p < 0.0001), dementia (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.14-2.80; p = 0.01), incontinence (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.13-2.76; p = 0.01), and alcohol use (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.23-3.16; p = 0.03). Borderline significance was observed for hyperlipidemia (OR 1.56, 95% CI 0.99-2.45; p = 0.054), a family history of hyperlipidemia (OR 3.09, 95% CI 0.93-10.26, p = 0.054), and diabetes (OR 1.83, 95% CI 0.96-3.51; p = 0.064). Multivariate analysis identified associations with gait difficulty (OR 3.98, 95% CI 1.81-8.77; p = 0.0006) and alcohol (OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.10-3.39; p = 0.04). Increased alcohol intake correlated with greater improvement after CSF drainage. Alcohol abuse was 2.5 times more prevalent among iNPH patients than matched controls. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol consumption is associated with the development of shunt-responsive iNPH.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive validity of the Mobility Scale for Acute Stroke (MSAS) in determining discharge destination (home or not home) after an acute stroke. Design: Cohort study. Subjects: Two-hundred and twenty-three patients with acute ischemic or intraparenchymal hemorrhagic, unilateral stroke Methods: The MSAS was administered as part of the initial physical therapy examination. The Receiver Operating Characteristic determined the optimal MSAS cutoff score associated with discharge home. A multiple logistic regression equation with discharge destination as the criterion variable (home or not home) was conducted with age, length of stay and optimal MSAS cutoff score as covariates. Results: Subjects were discharged home 35.9% (n = 80) and not home 64.1% (n = 143) of the time. Mean age was 68.5 years (standard deviation 1.8). The ROC determined 26 to be the optimal cutoff score for the MSAS. Results of the multiple logistic regression equation indicated that controlling for age and length of stay, only the MSAS cutoff score of 26 reliably predicted discharge to home with an adjusted odds ratio of 57.79 with a 95% confidence interval of 20.09-166.21. Conclusion: The MSAS may be useful for predicting discharge destination from the acute hospital after stroke.

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