Stroke in Qatar: a first prospective hospital-based study of acute stroke.
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.
Khan
Fahmi Yousef
FY
Department of Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, Qatar. fakhanqal@yahoo.co.uk
Yasin
Mohammed
M
Abu-Khattab
Mohammed
M
El Hiday
A Haleem
AH
Errayes
Mehdi
M
Lotf
Abdu Kaed
AK
Ibrahim
Abdulsalam Saif
AS
Abbas
Mushtak Talib
MT
Matar
Issa
I
Alsamawi
Musaad
M
Alhail
Hassan
H
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