Risk factors & clinical presentations--a study of eighty-five hospital admitted stroke cases

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
• Understanding risk factors and patient demographics is crucial for effective stroke management and prevention.
• Accurate stroke subtyping impacts patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the demographic profile, risk factors, and clinical presentation of stroke patients.
• To identify common comorbidities and associations in stroke cases.
• To explore the utility of altered consciousness as a differentiator between stroke types.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 85 consecutive stroke patients admitted between August 2000 and June 2001.
• Data collection included patient history (occupation, habitat, smoking, family history, infections), physical examination for risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease), and laboratory tests (CBC, glucose, lipids).
• Brain CT scans were performed in 68 patients; other investigations included urine analysis, ECG, and chest X-ray.

Main Results:

• The study population was predominantly male (81.18%) with a mean age of 62.54 years.
• Hypertension was highly prevalent (78.82%), followed by associated infections (37.65%).
• Hemiplegia was the most common clinical presentation (88.24%). Altered consciousness was more frequent in hemorrhagic stroke but not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Hypertension is the primary risk factor identified in this stroke patient cohort.
• Infections represent a significant comorbidity associated with stroke.
• Altered consciousness is not a reliable indicator for distinguishing between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in hospitalized patients.