ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Stroke is a spectrum of medical emergencies resulting from a direct insult to the cerebral blood flow. Cerebral computed tomography angiogram (CTA) plays an important role in the diagnostic algorithm of acute stroke. However, the role of CTA in the subacute phase is not well-established. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic role of CTA in subacute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) in identifying underlying etiology. It also aimed to describe the commonly encountered CTA findings in the subacute phase of ischemic events. METHODS: This is a retrospective study in which we evaluated the radiologic records of all patients who had a cerebral CTA for subacute stroke and TIA during the period from January 1, 2010 to May 30, 2018. RESULTS: The study included 104 cases diagnosed with subacute ischemic stroke or TIA. Patients' ages ranged from 8 to 96 years with a mean age of 52.9 (18.1) years. Most of the patients were males (68.3%; 71). CTA findings were abnormal in 86 cases (82.7%). Stenosis was diagnosed in 34 (32.7%) cases, followed by acute arterial thrombosis (25; 24%) and chronic occlusion (17; 16.3%). The internal carotid artery was the most affected (57.6%), followed by the vertebrobasilar arteries. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed that CTA has a high diagnostic yield in the subacute phase of ischemic cerebrovascular events, with an important role in detecting clinically relevant findings in this group of patients.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Angiography , Ischemic Attack, Transient , Stroke , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Child , Humans , Ischemic Attack, Transient/complications , Ischemic Attack, Transient/diagnostic imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Stroke/etiology , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death as well as disability worldwide. There is a little information about the prevalence of these diseases among Saudi elderly population. The aim of the study was to assess the role of gender as risk factor for chronic diseases among elderly patients seen at primary health care centers and identify the most common chronic comorbidities among the elderly. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing charts of elderly patients having chronic illnesses seeking consultation between January to December 2016. Based on WHO classification data for 19 chronic diseases were extracted using electronic charts of the patients. Chi-square test and logistic regression was used to access the gender as predictor for chronic illnesses with statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: The total number 319 elderly patients were included in the study after random sampling with a mean age of 75 ± 7 years. Around 83 (26%) of patients were severely obese (BMI >35) with a mean BMI of 30 ± 6.7. The most common chronic illnesses were cardiovascular diseases 229 (71.8%), dyslipidemia 183 (57.4%) and diabetes 179 (56.1%). The chronic respiratory and endocrine diseases were common among the elderly females (P value 0.004, P value < 0.001). The most significant problem among males was disease of genitourinary system. There was significant positive correlation of multimorbidity with number of times of consultation in a year (r = 0.442, P value < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The study concludes that females are more likely to have chronic diseases at elder age than males. However, disease of the genitourinary system was significantly higher among male elderly. Multimorbidity significantly increased the need for frequent visits to the hospital.
