Risk Factors, Clinical Presentations and Predictors Analysis of Stroke in Adult Patients in India: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Background: Stroke is the second most common cause of death and permanent disability across the world. Presently, its burden is in a growing phase, especially in high, low and medium-income countries. In India, it is considered as the common cause of admission to health care centers. However, there is a lack of information at the epidemiological (Risk factors, clinical presentations & predictors) level which might be due to the different diagnostic standards, case definitions, survey strategies, poor public awareness and inadequate medical facilities. Therefore, the present study is focused on the assessment of risk factors, clinical presentations and predictors of stroke among adult patients admitted to the stroke unit of SSB heart & multispeciality hospital, Faridabad, Haryana, India. Methods: Prospective observational study was conducted for 3 consecutive months from April to June 2021. A total of 25 patients (>18 years of age) diagnosed with ischemic stroke and admitted to the Stroke Unit were enrolled on the basis of their CT head findings while hemorrhagic stroke patients were excluded. Data collection was done by the trained medicinal practitioners and evaluated on the basis of age, gender, risk factors and clinical presentation. Result: The maximum patient i.e. 18 were recorded between 60- 80 years of age, males (64%) were found to be more susceptible as compared to females (36%). Further, low level of high-density lipoprotein was recorded as the most common risk factor followed by hypertension and smoking. Hemiparesis was observed as the common clinical presentation in 19 patients followed by dysarthria and ataxia. Conclusion: The present study concluded that both modifiable and nonmodifiable factors play a crucial role in stroke conditions and further, more research is needed with the incorporation of more modifiable and nonmodifiable factors in new studies in the future for the better management and treatment of stroke patients.