title: The influence of patient's knowledge about stroke in Brazil: a cross sectional study.
abstract: Little is known about stroke patients' awareness about the warning signs of stroke and its therapeutic time window in Brazil.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed consecutive patients with acute stroke admitted to a terciary public hospital in Brazil. Data collected included demographics, mode of arrival, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and knowledge of stroke warning signs and therapeutic time window. Early arrival was defined as within 4.5 hours of symptoms onset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although 66.2% of patients knew the warning signs of stroke, only 7.8% reported to know that stroke had a limited therapeutic time window. Stroke severity measured by the NIHSS was independently associated with early arrival, but not knowledge of stroke signs and symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge about stroke symptoms was not a predictor of early arrival.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maurício Isaac
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Panício
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mateus
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Irapuá Ferreira
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Ricarte
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Marinho de
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago Gonçalves
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jamile Cavalcanti
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Seixas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gisele Sampaio
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D013997:Time Factors