Awareness of stroke risk in chagasic stroke patients.
BACKGROUND
Reduction in stroke risk may depend on the general population's knowledge of stroke. In South America, chagasic myocardiopathy is independently associated with ischemic stroke.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate awareness of Chagas' disease (CD) as a stroke risk factor and to determine the frequency of stroke patients that are diagnosed as having CD after stroke.


METHODS
Eighty CD stroke patients and 140 non-chagasic stroke patients (53.2% males; mean age 60 years), consecutively admitted to the hospital during 2005 were interviewed with a questionnaire. Demographic variables included age, sex, ethnicity, education, previous history of stroke, vascular risk factors, social background information and several questions regarding awareness of CD as a stroke risk factor. A logistic regression model was developed to identify social variables that could predict the risk of CD stroke.


RESULTS
The diagnosis of CD was established after stroke in 42.5% of CD stroke patients. Most respondents (95%) were not aware of stroke risk in CD. Chagasic patients had the lowest rate of awareness about stroke risk (2.5 vs 7.1%), although they had the greatest knowledge about the kissing bug vector (83.7 vs 62.1%; p<0.001). The main social variables associated with CD stroke were: having family members with Chagas' disease (p<0.0001; odds ratio 10.1; 95% CI 3.6-16.1) and a past history of living in a mud-brick house during childhood (p<0.001; odds ratio 8.9; 95% CI: 4.1-24.6).


CONCLUSIONS
Awareness about CD as a risk factor of stroke is low. Educational campaigns about risk of stroke in CD patients are encouraged.
Carod-Artal
Francisco Javier
FJ
Department of Neurology, The Sarah Network of Rehabilitation Hospitals, Sarah Hospital, Brasilia DF, Brazil. javier@sarah.br
Ribeiro
Luciola da Silveira
Lda S
Vargas
Antonio Pedro
AP
D000368:Aged; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires