Factors Associated with Delay in Presentation to the Hospital for Young Adults with Ischemic Stroke

Young adults with ischemic stroke may present late to medical care, but the reasons for these delays are unknown. We sought to identify factors that predict delay in presentation.

We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults aged 18-50 admitted to a single academic medical center between 2007 and 2012.

Eighty six of 141 (61%) young adults with ischemic stroke presented at the health center more than 4.5 h after stroke onset. Diabetes was associated with delays in presentation (p = 0.033, relative risk (RR) 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.8)), whereas systemic cancer was associated with early presentations (p = 0.033, RR 0.26 (95% CI 0.044-1.6)). Individuals who were single were more likely to present late than those who were married or living with a partner (p = 0.0045, RR 1.7 (95% CI 1.3-2.2)). Individuals who were unemployed were more likely to present late than those who were employed or in school (p = 0.020, RR 1.4 (95% CI 1.1-1.8)). Age (dichotomized as 18-35 and 36-50), race, home medications, other medical conditions (including common stroke mimics in young adults), and stroke subtype were not determinants of delay in presentation, although there was a trend toward delayed presentations in women (p = 0.076) and with low stroke severity (dichotomized as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≤5 and NIHSS >5, p = 0.061).

A majority of young adults with ischemic stroke presented outside the time window for intravenous fibrinolysis. Diabetes, single status, and unemployed status were associated with delayed presentation.