title: The profile of risk factors and in-patient outcomes of stroke in Kumasi, Ghana.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stroke is an emerging public health challenge in Ghana requiring urgent attention for its control. Because some of the risk factors for stroke are modifiable, characterisation of these risk factors in the Ghanaian population as well as outcomes of stroke are urgently needed to guide policy for non-communicable diseases. We therefore conducted this study to evaluate the frequencies of the traditional risk factors and outcomes of stroke at the main tertiary referral centre in the middle belt of Ghana in a prospective observational study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with a clinical diagnosis of stroke were consecutively recruited and vascular risk factors were assessed as well as markers of severity of stroke and in-patient treatment outcomes. 265 patients were recruited, 56.6% were females and mean ± SD age of 64.6 ± 14.54 years. 85%, 73% and 58% of patients had systemic arterial hypertension, physical inactivity and obesity respectively as common risk factors. We identified that patients with stroke had a median of 3 traditional risk factors, were unaware of the presence of these risk factors or were poorly controlled if known. Stroke was associated with a high in-patient case fatality rate of 43% principally among patients with haemorrhagic stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that urgent concerted efforts are required to improve public awareness and management of the prevailing risk factors of stroke in Ghana.
authors.affiliation: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana ; School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Sarfo
authors.affiliation: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana ; School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Acheampong
authors.affiliation: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Appiah
authors.affiliation: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oparebea
authors.affiliation: Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akpalu
authors.affiliation: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana ; School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bedu-Addo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: Ghana; Stroke; mortality; risk factors