Risk Factors and Etiologies of Ischemic Strokes in Young Patients: A Tertiary Hospital Study in North India / 대한뇌졸중학회지

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke in young adults has a special significance in developing countries, as it affects the most economically productive group of the society. We identified the risk factors and etiologies of young patients who suffered ischemic strokes and were admitted to a tertiary referral hospital in North India. METHODS: A retrospective review of case records from patients with ischemic stroke in the age range of 18-45 years was conducted from 2005 to 2010. Data regarding patients' clinical profiles, medical histories, diagnostic test results, and modified Rankin Scale scores at hospital discharge were examined. Stroke subtyping was conducted in accordance with the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) criteria. RESULTS: Of the 2,634 patients admitted for ischemic stroke, 440 (16.7%) were in the 18-45 year age range and the majority (83.4%) were male. The most common risk factors were hypertension (34.4%) and dyslipidemia (26.5%). The most common subtype of stroke was undetermined (57%), followed by other determined causes (17.3%). Among the category of undetermined etiology, incomplete evaluation was the most common. Most of the patients demonstrated good functional outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Young adults account for 16.7% of all stroke patients in North India. Risk factors are relatively prevalent, and a high proportion of the patients are categorized under undetermined and other determined causes. The results highlight the needs for aggressive management of traditional risk factors and extensive patient work-ups to identify stroke etiology in India.

Refractory status epilepticus

Status epilepticus is a life threatening neurological emergency. In persons with status epilepticus, if administration of a benzodiazepine and at least one antiepileptic drug has failed then management protocols for refractory status epilepticus should be put into effect. The article summarises the causes, effects, pathophysiology and treatment protocols for refractory status epilepticus.The concept of super refractory status and newer etiologies and therapeutic options are also discussed.

Prediction of stroke outcome in relation to Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) atadmission in acute ischemic stroke: A prospective study from tertiary care hospital in north India

Objective: To evaluate correlation of Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) and early and delay outcome measures among acute anterior ischemic stroke patients who presented within 48 hours of stroke onset. Methods: In a prospective cohort study, we recruited consecutive patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) ischemic stroke who presented within 48 hours of stroke onset. All the patients were evaluated at admission (Glasgow Coma Scale - GCS and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale - NIHSS) at discharge (GCS, NIHSS, Barthel Index - BI and modifi ed Rankin Scale - mRS) and at 3 months (BI and mRS). CT ASPECTS was calculated by two observers independently. We divided patients in to two groups with ‘Better’ and ‘Worse’ ASPECTS with score of 8-10 and 0-7 respectively and compared the primary and secondary stroke outcome measures. Results: Among 100 patients with acute MCA infarction (median age 55 yrs, 62 males), median ASPECTS scores had inter-rater reliability of 0.82. The mortality, GCS and NIHSS at discharge, and mRS and BI at 3 months are signifi cantly better among patients with ‘Better’ compared to ‘Worse’ APSECTS. The hospital stay was shorter in patients with Better ASPCTS. Conclusion: In the setting of acute ischemic stroke, ASPECTS has good correlation with severity of stroke, and is strong predictor of early and delayed outcome in acute ischemic stroke.