Abstract
Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with hypertension being the predominant risk factor. At-risk individuals experience stroke symptoms but remain undiagnosed. However, no data exist on stroke symptoms and their associated factors in KSA. We assessed self-reported stroke symptoms and their association with pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and health seeking behaviors. Methods: We conducted a nationally representative multistage survey of individuals aged 15 years or older on socio-demographic characteristics; tobacco consumption, diet, physical activity, health care utilization, different health related behaviors, and self-reported chronic conditions. We used a backward elimination multivariate logistic regression model to measure associations between symptoms of stroke and risk factors. Results: Between April and June 2013, a total of 12,000 households were contacted and a total of 10,735 participants completed the survey (response rate of 89.4%). Overall, 579 (4.8% age-adjusted) respondents reported experiencing at least one symptom of stroke, while 55 (0.4% age-adjusted) reported being previously diagnosed with a stroke. The likelihood of reporting symptoms of stroke was associated with sex, older age, high levels of physical activity, and a history of diagnoses of any of the following conditions: pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension. Our study showed that a high percentage of Saudis reporting stroke symptoms have undiagnosed or uncontrolled blood pressure. Moreover, 61%% of those reporting stroke symptoms have never been to a doctor. Conclusions: Our study showed that a high percentage of individuals with suspected stroke have not sought medical care. Moreover, a large proportion of those with reported symptoms have uncontrolled conditions. To reduce the burden on stroke in KSA, prevention and control strategies should be accelerated with a focus on use of free preventive care services.
Highlights
Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) [1]
Socio-demographic characteristics of Saudi Health Information Survey (SHIS) respondents by stroke-free, diagnosed, and reported stroke symptoms are presented in Table 1, and Figure 1
The likelihood of reporting stroke symptoms was associated with the female sex, older age, high levels of physical activity, and a history of diagnoses of any of the following conditions: pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertension (Table 2)
Summary
Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) [1]. Hypertension is the major risk factor for stroke, and its control is the most effective strategy to prevent stroke [5,6].Only a few studies have reported on stroke in KSA since the early nineties. The registry data showed a 0.1% incidence rate per year of first-ever stroke among Saudi nationals with ischemic strokes accounting for 69% of these cases, and a first-month fatality rate of 15%. Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with hypertension being the predominant risk factor. No data exist on stroke symptoms and their associated factors in KSA. We assessed self-reported stroke symptoms and their association with pre-diabetes, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and health seeking behaviors
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call