Abstract
Background: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide and it is increasing in developing countries. Treatment for stroke is applied in the first 4.5 hours after the initiation of symptoms. Perceiving stroke as a severe illness could be implied in the early arrival and prognosis of stroke patients.
Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the perception of stroke and to evaluate their prognosis.
Methods: We applied 109 standardized questionnaires by phone call to patients who were admitted to our Stroke Care Unit with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke during the period January 2014 - January 2015.
Results: Mean age was 60±13, 60 were men and 58 cursed only primary school. Prevalent stroke risk factors were sedentarism (71.4%), hypertension (67.9%) and diabetes (44%). We compared the results between severe and non-severe perception and found a statistical difference in hospital arrival (p=0.04) and hospital stay days (p=0.04). Our study demonstrates the importance of recognizing stroke symptoms as a severe illness.
Conclusion: Perception of stroke arises as an additional point to emphasize during educational campaigns, leading this to a better timing in stroke patients and, therefore, an increased possibility to receive thrombolysis.
Citation
Gonzalez-Aquines A, Cordero-Perez AC, Sanchez-Teran H and Gongora-Rivera F. Does Perceiving Stroke as Severe Equals Better Prognosis?