Stroke mortality in Accra: A study of risk factors
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Date
2001-12
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Ghana Medical Journal
Abstract
We studied risk factors in consecutive autopsy
cases of fatal strokes in persons aged 20 years and
above at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra.
The presence of the following modifiable risk factors
was noted: Hypertension. atherosclerosis, diabetes
mellitus, cardiac diseases and obesity. Nonmodifiable
risk factors noted were age and sex. We
calculated the age-adjusted proportionate mortality
for each sex and assessed sex differences using the
X2 with Yates correction.
Mortality from stroke rose with age, increasing
suddenly after 39 years, peaking at 50-59 years in
males and 70ยท79 years in females, and declining
thereafter. There were sex differences in mortality
with male proportionate mortality exceeding females
up to 39 years after which female proportionate
deaths were higher than in males. Haemorrhagic
stroke was a more common cause of death
than infarctive stroke before 70 years in males and
60 years in females, After these ages, there was a
reversion with more deaths from infarction than
haemorrhage.
Hypertension was the dominant risk factor of
stroke mortality being involved in 77% of all
cases. However, cerebral atherosclerosis was the
main risk factor for infective stroke, but appeared
unimportant in cerebral haemorrhage. Other risk
factors such as diabetes mellitus, thrombotic phenomena,
and pre-existing cardiac disease were
present in a minority of cases. Obesity as a risk
factor for stroke appeared to be more of a female
problem than a male one.
The results of the study are compared with those of
studies conducted elsewhere and the role of each
risk factor in stroke is discussed.
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Stroke, cerebral haemorrhage, cerebral infarction, mortality, risk factors, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Ghana