Abstract
Stroke, the third leading cause of death worldwide, contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of medical admissions. There is a paucity of literature on stroke outcomes in the Southeast region of Nigeria. This study, therefore, is aimed at bridging this gap in knowledge. .This was a 10-year retrospective descriptive study in which data about patients with a clinical diagnosis of stroke were extracted from the Admission/Discharge registers in the medical wards of ABSUTH, Aba. Relevant data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. A total of 6587 admissions were recorded within the study period; 830 (12.6%) were admitted because of stroke, made up of 382 (46%) males and 448 (54%) females. Stroke was the commonest cause of death among the medical in-patients within the period under review and of all the stroke admissions, mortality was high at 42.3% with majority of the deaths (91.5%) occurring within the first two weeks of hospitalization. Stroke contributed significantly to medical admissions in the city of Aba, Nigeria. Mortality from stroke was high and that occurred mainly within the acute phase of the illness. There is, therefore, a need for dedicated stroke units to be set up in centres where stroke admissions are this high where the stroke in-patients will be afforded specialized multidisciplinary care instead of the present situation of medical ward admissions.
 
 
 
Highlights
Stroke is an important public health issue, the third leading cause of death worldwide after ischemic heart disease and cancer[1] and a leading cause of disability.[2]
Stroke outcome in Africa is not favorable because of their low health-care budget and the epidemiological transition they are currently facing due to rapid unplanned urbanization, aging population, and increasing modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases.[8]
Stroke contribution to medical ward deaths (5.43%) in the index study is lower than the 17% and 7.3% reported in Sagamu[22] and Ibadan,[23] respectively
Summary
Stroke is an important public health issue, the third leading cause of death worldwide after ischemic heart disease and cancer[1] and a leading cause of disability.[2] Low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa, are disproportionately affected more than the developed countries. Stroke deaths in these countries account for as much as 87% of all the stroke deaths[3] globally. Stroke outcome in Africa is not favorable because of their low health-care budget and the epidemiological transition they are currently facing due to rapid unplanned urbanization, aging population, and increasing modifiable risk factors for non-communicable diseases.[8]
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