Risk Factors and Etiological Classification of Ischemic Stroke Subtypes in Southwest Iran

Abstract

Precise categorization of the causes of ischemic stroke (IS) is crucial for optimizing stroke treatment and assessing the prognosis of patients. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the risk factors and various subcategories of IS in Iranian patients. The study included all patients with IS referred to Golestan Hospital (Ahvaz, Iran) for one year. Their demographics and clinical data were collected. The etiology of IS was classified based on the TOAST (Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) criteria. A total of 1100 patients with IS were evaluated, 658 were male and 442 were female. They had an average age of 66 years (ranging between 20 and 99 years). The majority of them were in the 61-80 age group. The prevalence of risk factors for IS included hypertension (HTN) (71.4%), diabetes (50.4%), smoking (42.4%), history of previous stroke (28%), dyslipidemia (15.4%), and cardiovascular disease (22.5%). Three months after admission, the mortality rate was 10.7% and the majority of patients exhibited a lower level of disability based on the modified Rankin Score (mRS) compared to the time of admission. The frequency of all risk factors, except for HTN, differed significantly between genders (P<0.05). Furthermore, the prevalence of risk factors varied significantly among different stroke etiologic subgroups (P<0.05). The most common etiological factors identified by TOAST classification were associated with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) and small artery occlusion (SAO). Significant variations were observed in the prevalence of different etiologic subtypes of stroke among genders and across different age groups.