Prevalence of Stroke Risk Factors and Their Distribution Based on Stroke Subtypes in Gorgan: A Retrospective...

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. According to the Iranian Ministry of Medical Health and Education, out of 100,000 stroke incidents in the country, 25,000 lead to death. Thus, identifying risk factors of stroke can help healthcare providers to establish prevention strategies. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of stroke risk factors and their distribution based on stroke subtypes in Sayad Shirazi Hospital, Gorgan, Northeastern Iran.

A retrospective hospital-based study was conducted at Sayad Shirazi Hospital in Gorgan, the only referral university hospital for stroke patients in Gorgan city. All medical records with a diagnosis of stroke were identified based on the International Classification of Diseases, Revision 10, from August 23, 2015, to August 22, 2016. A valid and reliable data gathering form was used to capture data about demographics, diagnostics, lifestyle, risk factors, and medical history.

Out of 375 cases, two-thirds were marked with ischemic stroke with mean ages (standard deviation) of 66.4 (14.2) for men and 64.6 (14.2) for women. The relationship between stroke subtypes and age groups (P=0.008) and hospital outcome (P=0.0001) was significant. Multiple regression analysis showed that hypertension (Exp. (B) =1.755, P=0.037), diabetes mellitus (Exp. (B) =0.532, P=0.021), and dyslipidemia (Exp. (B) =2.325, P=0.004) significantly increased the risk of ischemic stroke.

Overall, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were the major risk factors of stroke in Gorgan. Establishment of stroke registry (population- or hospital-based) for the province is recommended.