High Prevalence of Stroke Symptoms Among Persons Without a Diagnosis of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack in a General Population

Background and Purpose-Television advertising has been associated with significant increases in the knowledge of the warning signs of stroke among Ontarians aged 45 and older. However, to date there has been little data on the relationship between knowledge of the warning signs of stroke and behavior. Methods-Data on presentation to regional and enhanced district stroke center emergency departments were obtained from the a 5-month advertising blackout. There was a significant increase in the mean number of emergency department visits for stroke over the study period. A campaign effect independent of year was observed for total presentations, presentation within 5 hours of last seen normal, and presentation within 2.5 hours. For TIAs there was a strong campaign effect but no change in the number of presentations by year. Conclusions-Continuous advertising may be required to build and sustain public awareness of the warning signs of stroke. There are many factors that may influence presentation for stroke and awareness of the warning signs may be only one. However, results of this study suggest there may be an important correlation between the advertising and emergency department presentations with stroke, particularly for TIAs.

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“…55 Our results suggest that sustained television advertising is one means of ensuring such people seek immediate medical attention.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 73%

Can Mass Media Influence Emergency Department Visits for Stroke?

Hodgson

Lindsay

Rubini

2007

Stroke

158

156

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“…15,16 Many individuals report stroke symptoms without clinical diagnoses, although this pattern differs little between Stroke Belt residents and others. 17 Similarly, a recent evaluation of hypertension awareness found no difference between Stroke Belt residents and others. 18 Although the incident stroke rates that we found are consistent with those from prior US studies 19 -21 (eg, the HRS rate for ages 50 to 64 was 4.8/1000 and 9.4/1000 for ages 65 to 75), incomplete stroke ascertainment could bias our results if it differed by state of childhood or adult residence.…”

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Is the ‘Stroke Belt’ Worn From Childhood?

Glymour¹,

Avendaño²,

Berkman³

2007

Stroke

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“…For example, in a large community cohort, a self-reported history of stroke symptoms was present in 18% of adults without a clinical history of stroke or TIA, and was associated with a higher prevalence of stroke risk factors and a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment. 5,6 However, the prevalence and clinical significance of stroke symptoms in patients with ESRD is not well understood. Patients with ESRD often experience a large number of chronic symptoms that are often severe.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and significance of stroke symptoms among patients receiving maintenance dialysis

et al. 2012

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Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the prevalence and potential significance of stroke symptoms among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients without a prior diagnosis of stroke or TIA. Methods:We enrolled 148 participants with ESRD from 5 clinics. Stroke symptoms and functional status, basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL, IADL), were ascertained by validated questionnaires. Cognitive function was assessed with a neurocognitive battery. Cognitive impairment was defined as a score 2 SDs below norms for age and education in 2 domains. IADL impairment was defined as needing assistance in at least 1 of 7 IADLs.Results: Among the 126 participants without a prior stroke or TIA, 46 (36.5%) had experienced one or more stroke symptoms. After adjustment for age, sex, race, education, language, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, participants with stroke symptoms had lower scores on tests of attention, psychomotor speed, and executive function, and more pronounced dependence in IADLs and ADLs (p Յ 0.01 for all). After adjustment for age, sex, race, education, language, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, participants with stroke symptoms had a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment (odds ratio [OR] 2.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-5.92) and IADL impairment (OR 3.86, 95% CI 1.60-9.28).Conclusions: Stroke symptoms are common among patients with ESRD and strongly associated with impairments in cognition and functional status. These findings suggest that clinically significant stroke events may go undiagnosed in this high-risk population. Neurology ® 2012;79:981-987

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High Prevalence of Stroke Symptoms Among Persons Without a Diagnosis of Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack in a General Population

Cited by 119 publications

References 34 publications

Can Mass Media Influence Emergency Department Visits for Stroke?

Can Mass Media Influence Emergency Department Visits for Stroke?

Is the ‘Stroke Belt’ Worn From Childhood?

Prevalence and significance of stroke symptoms among patients receiving maintenance dialysis

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