Aging Patient Population with Ruptured Aneurysms: Trend over 28 Years

BACKGROUND: Given increasing life expectancy in the United States and worldwide, the proportion of elderly patients affected by aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) would be expected to increase. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an aging trend exists in the population of aSAH patients presenting to our institution over a 28-yr period. METHODS: A prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients presenting to our institution with subarachnoid hemorrhage between January 1991 and December 2018 was utilized. The 28-yr period was categorized into 4 successive 7-yr quarter intervals. The age of patients was compared among these intervals, and yearly trends were derived using linear regression. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 1671 ruptured aneurysm patients with a mean age of 52.8 yr (standard deviation = 15.0 yr). Over the progressive 7-yr time intervals during the 28-yr period, there was an approximately 4-fold increase in the proportion of patients aged 80 yr or above (P <. 001) and an increase in mean patient age from 51.2 to 54.6 yr (P =. 002). Independent of this trend but along the same lines, there was a 29% decrease in the proportion of younger patients (<50 yr) from 49% to 35%. On linear regression, there was 1-yr increase in mean patient age per 5 calendar years (P <. 001). CONCLUSION: Analyses of aSAH patients demonstrate an increase in patient age over time with a considerable rise in the proportion of octogenarian patients and a decrease in patients younger than 50 yr. This aging phenomenon presents a challenge to the continued improvement in outcomes of aSAH patients.