Clinical and Etiological Profile of Ischemic Stroke in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Nepal

Abstract

Background: Stroke is one of the most common neurological diseases, often leading to disability and death. Ischemic stroke accounts for 80-85% of all stroke cases. This Study aimed to evaluate the clinical and etiological profile of patients of ischemic cerebrovascular stroke. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional, observational study of 93 patients of ischemic cerebrovascular stroke, conducted at Bir Hospital, Kathmandu during January 2018 to December 2019. The patients detailed history, examinations, blood investigation, CT Scan head and Echocardiography was done. The data were recorded in Excel a sheet and analyzed by SPSS 20. Results: The mean age of ischemic stroke patients was 63.28 +_ 15.52 with a range from 30 to 94 years. The stroke was predominant in male with 52(55.91 %). The most common risk factors for stroke were hypertension 54(58.06%), followed by smoking 48(51.61%), LVH 45(48.38%), hypercholesterolemia 26(27.95%), diabetes mellitus 11(11.82%), atrial fibrillation 3(3.22%) and coronary artery disease 1(1.07%). Hemiplegia was present in all the patients. Other common symptoms included dysarthria due to facial deviation in 73.11%, speech aphasia in 6.45 % and altered sensorium/loss of consciousness in 1.07 % patients. Conclusion: Stroke is not limited to elderly population; younger adults are also vulnerable for stroke. Hypertension, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus are common risk factors which can be modified for prevention of stroke. Key words: Ischemic stroke; hemiplegia; risk factors..