Stroke in young adults in Malaysia: 1 year outcome and functional status

Abstract

Background & Objectives: Young stroke has socioeconomic implications. We aim to describe the demography and evaluate the long-term functional outcomes of young stroke survivors in Malaysia. Methods: First-ever Malaysian young stroke patients (18-50 years) from 1st October 2016 until 30th June 2018 were recruited from the University of Malaya Medical Centre Young Stroke Registry and other sources. Participants were interviewed in person or via telephone at one year post-stroke. Demographic information collected were age, sex, ethnicity, and education level. Results: Out of 120 eligible cases, there were 6 deaths (5%) and 7 recurrent strokes (5.8%) within 1 year. Seventy five patients were recruited for the study with mean assessment time at 14.8 months. Survivors are predominantly male (69.2%), aged ≥41 years old (73%) with racial profile representative of the locality. Ischaemic stroke (IS) is the commonest stroke type (72%) with majority TOAST classified as large-artery atherosclerosis and small-vessel disease. Hypertension and smoking are the leading risk factors. Greater than half are independent and returned to work (RTW); comparatively IS has better outcomes than haemorrhagic stroke (HS). Lesser educated survivors (≤secondary school education, 56%) are more likely to not RTW (OR 5, p = 0.005). There is no significant change in marital status and residence post stroke. Conclusion: In a single centre study in Malaysia, major findings for young stroke survivors, mainly male in their 40s, at 1 year are case fatality of 5%, stroke recurrence of 5.8%, and more than half achieved independence and RTW (IS > HS) with education level influencing RTW.