ABSTRACT
Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Defined by the WHO as 'Rapidly developing clinical signs of focal or global disturbance of cerebral function with symptoms lasting 24 hours or longer or leading to death, with no apparent cause other than vascular origin'. It is a major complication of hypertension
Objectives: To evaluate the personal and clinical characteristics of stroke patients
Setting: Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain
Design: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. I
Method: All patients diagnosed and admitted between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010 were included. One hundred eighty-three patients were included in the study
Personal and clinical data were documented. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS program version 17
Result: Ischemic stroke was the most common, 115 [62.8%]
The majority of patients were males, 129 [70.5%]
The most notable outcome is the rehabilitated patients, 74 [40.4%]
One hundred sixty-six [90.7%] patients did not suffer confusion, whereas 84 [45.9%] had impaired speech and 77 [42.1%] had right-sided numbness and weakness
Conclusion: The most common type of stroke was the ischemic stroke, 115 [62.8%]
The most common symptom was weakness, 147 [80.3%]
The most common risk factor was hypertension, 136 [74.3%] and the most common outcome was rehabilitation, 74 [40.4%]