Stroke at a tertiary medical institution in Northern Nigeria: Patients\' profile and predictors of outcome

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the burden of stroke in the northern part of Nigeria as most studies in the country have been in the southern part. The objective of this study was to study the profile of stroke patients and predictors of outcome in a tertiary health centre in Katsina, North-Western Nigeria..
Patients and Method: In this retrospective study, case records of all stroke patients admitted to the hospital between July, 2003 and March, 2006 (33 months) were retrieved to obtain the necessary information using a structured questionnaire designed for the study.
Results: There were 139 files retrieved but only 81 had complete information. The mean age of the patients was 61.40±15.57 years. The peak age of occurrence of stroke was found to be in the seventh decade in females and eight decade in males. Systemic hypertension, present in 65.4% of cases, was the commonest risk factor identified. Overall mortality rate was 23.5% and factors that predicted mortality include level of consciousness at stroke onset (r=0.26, p=0.02) and presence of complications (r=0.38, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Hypertension is the dominant risk factor for stroke in the northern part of Nigeria and predictors of outcome are level of consciousness at onset and presence of complications.


Sahel Medical Journal Vol. 10 (1) 2007: pp. 6-10