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Prevalence and risk factors for stroke in a population of Southern Brazil
Leslie Copstein1, Jefferson Gomes Fernandes, Gisele Alsina Nader Bastos
11Graduate Program in Family and Community Medicine, School of Health Management, Moinhos de Vento Hospital, Porto Alegre RS, Brazil. lcopstein@gmail.com
Unlabelled:
Stroke is the leading cause of death in many countries of Latin America. Population studies are necessary in this region.
Objectives:
To evaluate the prevalence of stroke and its risk factors in a population of vulnerable communities of southern Brazil.
Methods:
Population-based crosssectional study with systematic sampling. Individuals aged 20 and over were included (n=3,391). Individuals with previous diagnosis of stroke or identified by a validate stroke questionnaire were compared with those without stroke in many variables.
Results:
285 individuals (8.4%) had previous stroke. The group without stroke showed greater average of years of study than the group with stroke (p<0.001). Multivariable analysis identified as risk factors for stroke (p<0.05): age from 40 to 59, age from 60 to 79, widowhood, present smoking, previous smoking, hypertension and ischemic heart disease.
Conclusion:
The findings in this population indicate the need of preventive cost-effective public health policies in Brazil.
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