Risk factors of stroke in coastal villages of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India: a case control study

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONStroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The incidence of stroke is on the rise in the developing countries unlike the developed countries.1 Worldwide, 15 million people suffer stroke in a year. Among them, 5 million people die and another 5 million become permanently disabled.2 Stroke is the second leading cause of mortality in people above 60 years of age, and the fifth leading cause in those in the age group of 15 to 59 years. In developed countries, stroke is the third most common cause of death, following coronary heart disease and cancer. 3The most important modifiable risk factors for stroke are hypertension and tobacco use.2 Other modifiable risk factors include unhealthy diet, high salt intake, underlying heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. 3Better control of hypertension and reduced levels of smoking have resulted in declining incidence of stroke in many developed countries. Control of hypertension can decrease the risk of stroke by up to 40%. However, the absolute number of stroke cases continues to increase because of the growing elderly population. The burden of ABSTRACT Background: The prevalence of stroke was reportedly higher in four coastal villages as compared to the neighbouring villages. Hence the study was conducted to identify the risk factors for stroke cases in the four villages of Mavinakurve Gram Panchayath, Bhatkal Taluk, Karnataka, India. Methods: 53 stroke patients were compared with 106 age and locality matched controls. Data was obtained using a predesigned, pretested questionnaire for socio-demographic variables, sources of water, palm oil and milk powder consumption, smoking and alcohol usage, stress score, history of hypertension, BMI and Waist Hip ratio. The data was entered in the SPSS version 15.0 and analysed. Results were expressed as proportions. Associations were analyzed using Chi-square test. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Most of the cases (53%) and controls (45%) belonged to the age group of 60-69 years. 62.2% of the cases were males and 37.8% were females. 45.3% of the cases and 34.0% of the controls were involved in fishing. 15% of the cases and 2.8% of the controls had high stress. Statistically significant association was found between high stress and stroke. 86.8% of cases and 72.6% of controls were hypertensive (p value of 0.04). Conclusions:The prevalence of stroke in this area is higher than the state/national average. Hypertension and stress are important risk factors for stroke. Periodic screening for early detection of hypertension, health education, appropriate lifestyle modification and prompt treatment for hypertension are very important.

The Distribution of Lifestyle Risk Factors Among Patients with Stroke in the Indian Setting: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…We have included 61 studies in our systematic review, conducted across various states in India, estimating the various lifestyle risk factors for stroke ( Table 1 ). 13 – 73 Out of 61, 56 studies were conducted and 58 were published after 2000. In 51 studies, patients were enrolled from the hospital-based stroke registries (HBSR) maintained in various treatment settings across India, while in 10 studies, the enrollment was using population-based stroke registries (PBSR).…”