Investigation of Risk Factors Related to Stroke in the Bangladeshi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Bangladesh faces a rise in stroke, with a prevalence of stroke up to 11.4 per thousand. Almost 90% of the attributable risk of stroke is linked to the modifiable risk factors, and proper identification and control of these factors significantly decreases stroke incidence. However, to date, no study in the Bangladeshi population has compared the 5- and 10-year risk of stroke to identify the critical risk factors. This study aimed to bridge that knowledge gap.

A cross-sectional study was designed incorporating the questionnaire of the Stroke Riskometer application and other known risk factors of stroke. Data were collected from 158 adults of Rajshahi region and fed to the application to predict the 5- and 10-year risk profiles. Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and ordinal regression were performed to investigate the risk factors related to stroke.

Among 158 individuals, (mean age 47.5 ± 8.7 years; 59.5% male) it was observed that several risk factors for example, mean BMI, 25.8 ± 3.9 kg/m²; mean SBP, 134.5 ± 22.9 mmHg; mean blood sugar level, 7.9 ± 3.8 mmol/L; mean total cholesterol, 223.0 ± 41.1 mg/dL; smoking, 32.4%; emotional stress/depression, 41.8% to be reasonably high contributing to 5.1% of 5-year and 17.8% of 10-year risk of stroke in total population. Age (p = 0.007), blood sugar level (p = 0.033), and atrial fibrillation (p = 0.005) were the critical risk factors for the 5-year risk profile, and age (p = 0.006), hypertension (p = 0.01), smoking (p = 0.049), and atrial fibrillation (p < 0.001) stood out for 10-year stroke prediction. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that age and blood pressure were significantly related to the 10-year risk profiles of stroke with an odds ratio (OR) of 21.947 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.740-175.763, p = 0.004) for individuals aged over 60 years and an OR of 5.507 (95% CI, 1.386-21.883, p = 0.015) for hypertension (stage-2).

The reduction of identified risk factors through adequate research and mass awareness is imperative for effective stroke prevention.