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Stroke in the young: access to care and outcome; a Western versus eastern European perspective

Ajay Bhalla1, Richard Grieve, Anthony G Rudd

  • 1Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College, London, United Kingdom. abhalla@sgul.ac.uk

Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases : the Official Journal of National Stroke Association
|November 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Young stroke patients in Western Europe receive more stroke care components than those in Eastern Europe. This highlights disparities in care access and outcomes across the continent.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Understanding stroke care components for young patients (<55 years) is crucial for developing effective strategies.
  • Significant regional variations in stroke care provision and outcomes exist across Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe stroke care provision in young patients (<55 years) across Western and Eastern Europe.
  • To identify factors associated with 3-month mortality and disability in this demographic.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from hospital-based stroke registers in Western (7 centers, 6 countries) and Eastern Europe (4 centers, 3 countries).
  • Inclusion of 201 patients younger than 55 years from a total of 1735 stroke admissions.

Main Results:

  • Young stroke patients in Western Europe had higher access to stroke unit care (67% vs. 24%) and more doctor, therapy, and nursing time.
  • 3-month case fatality was significantly lower in Western centers (8%) compared to Eastern centers (23%).
  • Patients in Eastern European centers faced a substantially higher likelihood of disability at 3 months (OR = 24.3, P = .04).

Conclusions:

  • Young stroke patients in Western Europe benefit from greater access to stroke care components compared to their Eastern European counterparts.
  • A key challenge is implementing evidence-based stroke care recommendations uniformly across Europe for all young stroke patients.
  • Addressing regional disparities in stroke care is essential to improve outcomes for young stroke survivors.
Abstract

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