title: Difference in recognition of right and left hemispheric stroke.
abstract: Symptoms of cerebrovascular events differ depending on the hemisphere in which the lesion arises, thereby affecting disease recognition and management. We aimed to establish whether left and right hemispheric strokes are unequally distributed in inpatients. We obtained data from a large hospital-based stroke registry in Germany. 11,328 patients (56%) had left hemispheric events and 8769 (44%) had right-sided lesions (p<0.0001). Age, stroke severity, and time from symptom onset to admission were significantly associated with left hemispheric stroke, suggesting a selection effect. Difficulties in recognition of symptoms due to right hemispheric stroke challenge efforts to optimise stroke management, particularly in the critical early hours of stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Schleusenweg 2-16, 60528 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. foerch@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Foerch
authors.forename: Bjoern
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Misselwitz
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sitzer
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Helmuth
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Steinmetz
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neumann-Haefelin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*