title: Post-stroke pneumonia at the stroke unit - a registry based analysis of contributing and protective factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate prevalence and risk factors for post stroke pneumonia (PSP) in patients with acute ischemic stroke treated at stroke units (SU).
  
  
  METHODS
  We analysed data from the Austrian Stroke Unit registry concerning admissions from January 2003 to December 2013 and assessed the prevalence of PSP at the stroke unit. Patients with and without PSP were compared in univariate and multivariate models searching for factors associated with the occurrence of PSP at the SU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three thousand one hundred eleven patients (5.2%) of 59,558 analysed patients were diagnosed with PSP. While age and stroke severity were non-modifiable factors associated with PSP, modifiable risk factors included chronic alcohol consumption and atrial fibrillation. Patients who developed neurological, cardiac, and other infective complications showed a higher prevalence of PSP, an increased prevalence was also found in connection with the placement of nasogastric tubes or urinary catheters. Female sex, left hemispheric stroke, cryptogenic stroke pathogenesis and additionally, treatment with lipid lowering drugs were factors associated with a lower PSP prevalence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pneumonia in acute ischemic stroke is associated with a variety of modifiable and unmodifiable factors that allow to identify patients at high risk of developing PSP and to focus on early preventive measures at the SU. Further studies could use the results of this study to explore potential benefits of specific interventions targeted at these factors.
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria. karl.matz@donau-uni.ac.at.|Department of Neurology, University Clinic Tulln, Karl Landsteiner Privatuniversität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Krems, Austria. karl.matz@donau-uni.ac.at.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matz
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria.
authors.forename: Leonhard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Seyfang
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dachenhausen
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Teuschl
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria.|Department of Chronic Disease Prevention, National Institute for Health and Welfare, 00271, Helsinki, Finland.|Diabetes Research Group, King Abdulaziz University, 21589, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tuomilehto
authors.affiliation: Department for Clinical Neurosciences and Preventive Medicine, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Str. 30, A-3500, Krems, Austria.|Department of Neurology, University Clinic Tulln, Karl Landsteiner Privatuniversität für Gesundheitswissenschaften, Krems, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brainin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000150:complications*; D001317:Austria; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D065840:Protective Factors; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Acute ischemic stroke; Pneumonia; Respiratory infection; Risk factors; Stroke unit