Abstract
Objectives: The research study aims to estimate the prevalence of the stroke, to evaluate the stroke associated risk factors, and to determine the factors and symptoms associated with the knowledge of the stroke among the Palestinian population. Furthermore, to find the association between matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels and the stroke, the concentration of MMP-9 in the serum of stroke patients was measured.
 Methods: The research study includes a cross-sectional survey that was conducted. The serum MMP-9 levels were also measured in 11 stroke patients using an ELISA reader. Statistical analysis was performed by GraphPad Prism version 8. Sociodemographic characteristics of stroke patients associated with stroke among the Palestinian population were also obtained and analyzed.
 Results: The higher incidence of the stroke was in the patient’s ages between 51 and 60 years old, with 30 patients (46%) of the total stroke patients. The majority of the stroke patients 40 (60.6%) were having enough income. Most of the stroke patients (29, 43.9%) were none educated. The majority of the stroke patients 48 (72.2%) had a family member/s who has been diagnosed with a stroke. Most of the stroke patients 60 (90.9%) have sudden numbness, weakness in the face, arms, and legs. All the samples analyzed showed a marked increase in MMP-9 concentration.
 Conclusions: The prevalence of stroke and the high risk of stroke were high among adults aged ≥51 years in Palestine. Hypertension was the highest risk factor for stroke. The serum MMP-9 could be an important prognostic factor for the stroke.
Highlights
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in most Western countries, after coronary heart disease and cancer
The sociodemographic characteristics of the stroke patients in our study were collected (Table 1); it was found that the majority of the stroke patients were living in villages 37 (56%) and 29 (44%) patients were living in cities, indicating that the incidence of the stroke in the rural area is higher than the cities
The results showed that the patients with an income which is considered as just enough income were the highest group of stroke patients (40, 60.6%); just enough income means that the person can cover the basic living expenses
Summary
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in most Western countries, after coronary heart disease and cancer. Stroke is the leading cause of death in the United States; stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year – that is 1 out of every 20 deaths. Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 4 min someone dies of a stroke, every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Once there is a stroke the blood vessel will be blocked through the formation of a different sized or clot or the leakage of the blood from the body vessels [1,2,3]
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