Clinical Characteristics of Stroke Occurring while Bathing.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Stroke is a significant health concern that can occur during any activity.
• While bathing-related cardiac arrests and drowning are studied, strokes during bathing are under-researched.
• Understanding bathing-related strokes is crucial for comprehensive stroke prevention and patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients experiencing stroke while bathing.
• To determine the association between bathing and stroke incidence across different stroke types.
• To evaluate the role of bathing-related strokes in drowning accidents.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of clinical data from 1939 stroke patients (January 2011-December 2015).
• Identification of patients who had a stroke during bathing.
• Comparison of bathing-related stroke ratios and demographics with strokes occurring during other activities.

Main Results:

• 78 out of 1939 patients (4%) experienced stroke while bathing.
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) had the highest ratio (8.6%) of bathing-related strokes, followed by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) (5.5%), and cerebral infarction (CI) (2.6%).
• Most bathing-related stroke patients collapsed outside the bathtub.

Conclusions:

• A higher proportion of hemorrhagic strokes (ICH, SAH) occurred during bathing, suggesting a potential risk in vulnerable individuals.
• The study did not establish a causal link between bathing and stroke; prospective research is needed.
• The low incidence of in-tub collapses indicates a minimal role of stroke in bathtub drowning incidents.