title: Stroke in Qatar: a first prospective hospital-based study of acute stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Qatar.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to determine types of strokes, the associated risk factors, clinical presentation, outcome, and time to hospital admission among Qatari and non-Qatari patients as well as young and nonyoung patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a hospital-based prospective observational study including all patients admitted to Hamad Medical Corporation with first-ever stroke from September 15, 2004, to September 14, 2005. A stroke was defined according to World Health Organization criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stroke was confirmed in 270 patients of whom 217 (80.4%) had ischemic stroke and 53 (19.6%) had hemorrhagic stroke. Male patients predominated in all types of stroke. The main risk factors for stroke were hypertension and diabetes, whereas lacunar infarct was the most common subtype of ischemic stroke. Risk factor profiles were similar between Qatari and non-Qatari patients except for hypercholesterolemia, which was observed with a higher frequency in Qatari compared with non-Qatari patients with ischemic stroke. There were significant differences between the young and nonyoung patients with ischemic stroke with respect to risk factors, ejection fraction, ventricular wall-motion abnormalities, time to hospital admission, and outcome. Most patients arrived at the hospital more than 3 hours from stroke onset because of unawareness of stroke symptoms. The overall in-hospital mortality was 9.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the main risk factors for stroke in Qatar, whereas lacunar infarct was the most common subtype. Significant differences between the young and nonyoung patients were observed with respect to risk factors, ejection fraction, ventricular wall-motion abnormalities, time to hospital admission, and outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. fakhanqal@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Fahmi Yousef
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasin
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abu-Khattab
authors.forename: A Haleem
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: El Hiday
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Errayes
authors.forename: Abdu Kaed
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lotf
authors.forename: Abdulsalam Saif
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Mushtak Talib
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Abbas
authors.forename: Issa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Matar
authors.forename: Musaad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alsamawi
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alhail
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013997:Time Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology