Insights Into Stroke Patients: Assessing Knowledge, Awareness, and Perception of Stroke Symptoms and Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Enhanced Care

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to quantify stroke knowledge and health-related behaviours in people with recent stroke, and their relation with cardiovascular disease risk.

METHODS: The patients enrolled in the study were subjected to a comprehensive clinical history and physical examination. An analytical methodology was employed to evaluate the risk factors, clinico radiological profile, & outcome in patients with acute cardiovascular/cerebrovascular disease. The data collected from 600 selected subjects underwent internal comparison & statistical analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics, in accordance with the study's formulated objectives. Stroke survivors received a detailed and validated questionnaire.

RESULTS: The findings of the study demonstrate that a considerable percentage (62%) of Stroke patients with limited educational attainment and lower income levels displayed lack of knowledge and awareness regarding stroke, encompassing its correlated risk factors and warning signs. Older patients between the ages of 45 and 65, characterized by elevated socioeconomic status, including higher levels of education and income, along with those possessing a familial history of stroke, exhibited significantly higher levels of awareness. Furthermore, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking emerged as the most frequently reported recognized risk factors for stroke.

CONCLUSIONS: Among the identified risk factors for stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking emerged as the most commonly reported known contributors. However, a noteworthy aspect revealed in this study was the limited awareness among the subjects regarding their elevated susceptibility to stroke. Particularly, the individuals included in the study demonstrated a significant lack of knowledge regarding their increased risk for stroke. Therefore, there exists a pressing need for comprehensive and intensive health education interventions to enhance stroke awareness, particularly among the most vulnerable population segments. Remarkably, the findings also highlighted the alarmingly low level of awareness among the participants concerning diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for cardiovascular stroke.