Global Disparities in the Presentation and Management of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Review and Analysis

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is associated with high mortality rates. There is a significant gap in the literature describing global disparities in demographics, management, and outcomes among patients with aSAH. We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess global disparities in aSAH presentation and management. PubMed and Embase databases were queried from earliest records to November 2022 for aSAH literature. Presentation, demographics, comorbidities, treatment methods, and outcomes data were collected. Articles that did not report aSAH-specific patient management and outcomes were excluded. Pooled weighted prevalence rates were calculated. Random effects model rates were reported. After screening, 33 articles representing 10,553 patients were included. The prevalence of Fisher grade 3 or 4 aSAH in high- and lower-income countries (HIC and LIC), respectively, was 79.8% (P<0.01) and 84.1 (P<0.01). Prevalence of male aSAH patients in HIC and LIC, respectively, was 35.8% (P<0.01) and 45.0% (P<0.01). Prevalence of treatment in aSAH patients was 99.5% (P<0.01) and 99.4% (P=0.16) in HIC and LIC, respectively. In HIC, 35% (P<0.01) of aneurysms in aSAH patients were treated with coiling. No LIC reported coiling for aSAH treatment; LIC only reported rates of surgical clipping, with a total prevalence of 92.4% (P<0.01) vs. 65.6% (P<0.01) in HIC. In this analysis, we found similar rates of high-grade SAH hemorrhages in HIC and LIC but a lack of endovascular coil embolization treatments reported in LIC. Additional research and discussion are needed to identify reasons for treatment disparities and intervenable societal factors to improve aSAH outcomes worldwide.