title: Gender differences and woman-specific trends in acute stroke: results from a hospital-based registry (1986-2009).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We assessed gender differences and women-specific secular trends in stroke.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 2318 women and 2274 men with first-ever stroke collected from the Sagrat Cor Hospital Stroke Registry of Barcelona between 1986 and 2009 were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patient's age increased significantly from a mean of 74.5 years in 1986-1992 to 81.2 years in 2004-2009 (P < 0.001). Patients aged ≥ 85 years increased from 18.5% to 38.5% (P = 0.0001) as were patients with hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and cardioembolic stroke. The in-hospital death decreased from 17.6% to 11% (P = 0.02), median length of hospital from 14 to 9 days (P = 0.0001) and prolonged hospital stay (> 12 days) from 59.7% to 33.7% (P = 0.0001). Lacunar infarction was more frequent in men (21.5% vs. 16.2%, P = 0.0003) and cardioembolic infarction in women (26% vs. 15.6%, P = 0.0001). Acute stroke in women continues to be a severe disease with high risk of death in the immediate post-stroke phase (13.5%) and low probability of early full neurological recovery (13.9% vs. 11.8%, P = 0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women differ from men in the distribution of risk factors and stroke subtype, stroke severity, and outcome. An increase in the patient's age, hypertension, atrial fibrillation and cardioembolic infarction, as well as a decrease mortality and length of hospitalization over a 24-year period was recorded.
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Electronic address: aarboix@hscor.com.
authors.forename: Adrià
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arboix
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cartanyà
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lowak
authors.affiliation: Clinical Information Systems, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García-Eroles
authors.affiliation: Department of Pneumology Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oliveres
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Division, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitari del Sagrat Cor, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Massons
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D059409:Stroke, Lacunar / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014930:Women
keywords: Acute stroke; Hospital-based stroke registry; Sex differences; Temporal trends; Women