The Prevalence of Stroke Survivors in Urban Slums in Enugu, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Stroke is one of the commonest non-communicable diseases and the commonest cause of death in adult neurology wards. Stroke prevalence in sub Saharan Africa has dramatically increased over the past decades possibly due to changing life styles, poverty, poor health infrastructures which had led to increased risk factors for stroke. Poor nutrition and lack of access to standard medical care, predispose to high rates of stroke morbidity and mortality hence possible low prevalence. Little is known about the prevalence of stroke in people with low socio-economic status in Nigeria. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of stroke in two urban slums in south east Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study carried out in two slums in Enugu, South East Nigeria. Participants were screened using a stroke specific questionnaire and further examined by two independent neurologists for evidence of focal neurological deficits. Analysis was done by SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 1440 participants were surveyed in the study; 769 (53.4) females and 671 (46.6%) males. About 22.3% (321) screened positive for various neurological diseases out of which 17 (5.3%) had evidence for stroke giving an overall prevalence of 1.2% (males 9 (1.3%) vs females 8 (1%) p = 0.6). The mean age of stroke survivors was 60.1 years, similar in males and females (p = 0.6). The odds ratio for stroke from 40 years showed progress increment doubling between 60 and 70 years and tripled between 40 and 70 years. Age, lower level of education, positive history of hypertension, sickle How to cite this paper: Ekenze, O.

0.35 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging findings in a cohort of 399 seizure patients. Experience from a single centre in Nigeria

“…[28][29] Overall, seizures occur in about 3%-6.4% of ischemic stroke survivors within a year and 54%-66% of them go on to develop epilepsy. 30-32-35 With the current prevalence of 12/1000, 33 the burden of post stroke epilepsy is set to increase in the community because the long-term cumulative risk of post-stroke epilepsy is also high. This study also gives some insight into this emerging problem.…”

“…The mean age of patients with stroke in this study was 62.7 years similar to the age of stroke survivors in Nigeria. 33 Other reasons may not be unrelated to the inclusion of both patients hydrocephalus, sub-dural hematoma and dementia which are possible causes of symptomatic seizures and epilepsy. The high rates of stroke in this study demonstrated the growing burden of post stroke epilepsy.…”

Comparison of performances of SIREN or MFSRS in stroke risk prediction in an African environment

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) had earlier estimated that by the year 2030, 80% of all strokes will occur in low-and-middle-income countries such as Nigeria [ 8 ]. In Nigeria, several population-based studies point to high incidence (0.6–1.63 per 1000 persons) and prevalence (1.14–14.6 per 1000 persons) rates of stroke in different regions of the country [ 9 – 12 ]. In general, the global number of stroke survivors and the global burden of stroke have increased [ 6 , 13 ].…”