Stroke admissions in Kubwa General Hospital: A 30-month review

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a common neurological disorder that contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of medical admissions. Objectives: To review the types, risk factors, hemispheric involvement, and outcomes of admitted stroke patients in Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of patients who had a clinical diagnosis of stroke in Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria, between January 2013 and June 2015. Results: A total of 60 patients who had stroke were admitted during this period, accounting for 4.25% of medical admissions. Men and women accounted for 68.3% and 31.7%, respectively, with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Their mean age was 54.9 ± 13.5 years while the median age was 52.5 years. The mean hospital stay for these patients was 8.4 ± 5.5 days. Ischemic stroke occurred more frequently (65%) compared with hemorrhagic stroke (35%). Hypertension (65%), alcohol (25%), previous stroke (18.3%), diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia (18.3%) were the common identifiable risk factors for stroke. Ten patients (16.7%) had two risk factors for stroke, whereas 8 patients (13.3%) had three risk factors for stroke. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures on admission were 171.5 ± 41.6 mmHg and 103.3 ± 24.0 mmHg, respectively. The left hemisphere (53.3%) was more often affected than the right hemisphere in these patients. Majority of the patients (48.3%) were discharged following improvement while the case fatality was 11.7%. Conclusion: Stroke is not uncommon as a cause of medical admission in Kubwa General Hospital. Ischemic stroke occurred more commonly and the left hemisphere was more often involved compared with the right hemisphere. Hypertension was the most common risk factor for stroke in these patients.