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Common Comorbidities of Stroke in the Canadian Population
Abdel-Halim Hafez Elamy1, Ashfaq Shuaib1, Keumhee C Carriere2
1Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Insights
Comorbidity is common in Canadian stroke patients, with over 80% experiencing conditions like heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. This highlights the need for integrated healthcare strategies to manage stroke and its associated conditions effectively.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Comorbidity significantly increases healthcare needs and system burden.
- Population-based studies on stroke comorbidity are limited.
- Understanding comorbidity patterns in stroke is crucial for effective healthcare planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the prevalence of significant comorbidities in Canadian stroke patients.
- To analyze the association between stroke and common comorbid conditions.
- To provide population-based data on stroke comorbidity in Canada.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey.
- Included a large, weighted sample representing approximately 98% of the Canadian population.
- Employed logistic regression models to analyze associations.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between stroke history and multiple comorbidities.
- Stroke patients frequently had heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, mood disorders, and COPD.
- 81.3% of stroke patients had at least one comorbidity, and 48% had two or more.
- Comorbidity prevalence increased with age, with most affected individuals over 60.
Conclusions:
- Canadian stroke patients exhibit a high burden of comorbidity.
- Strong associations exist between stroke and conditions like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, mood disorders, and COPD.
- Healthcare systems must address the significant comorbidity in stroke patients when allocating resources.
Objectives:
Although comorbidity increases the health care and community support needs for patients, and the burden for the health care system, there are few population-based studies on comorbidity in patients with stroke. This study aims to evaluate the occurrence of important comorbidities among stroke patients in the Canadian population.
Methods:
Data from the population-based 2011-2012 Canadian Community Health Survey containing responses from 124,929 participants covering about 98% of the Canadian population when weighted were examined and analyzed by means of logistic regression models.
Results:
There was a statistically significant association between stroke history and multiple comorbid risk factors. Stroke prevalence increased in individuals with heart disease (odds ratio (OR): 3.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.77-3.84), hypertension (OR: 1.97, 95% CI: 1.95-1.99), diabetes (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.72-1.75), mood disorder (OR: 2.14, 95% CI: 2.12-2.17), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.44-1.48) compared to others without the condition. Of 2067 participants with stroke, 1680 (81.3%) had one or more comorbid conditions (heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, mood disorder, or COPD) that coexist with stroke and 48% had two or more. Comorbidity increased with age, and two-thirds of stroke patients with comorbid medical conditions were 60 years of age or older.
Conclusion:
This population-based study provides evidence of comorbidity between stroke and other conditions that include heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, mood disorder, and COPD. Canadian individuals with stroke have a high burden of comorbidity. Health care systems need to recognize and respond to the strong association of comorbidity and stroke occurrence. This key factor should be considered when allocating resources.
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