Gender Difference in Frequency, Types, Risk Factors and Outcome in Stroke Patients
Background: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, with nearly 17 million cases and 6 million deaths annually. Understanding gender differences in stroke epidemiology is important for optimizing prevention and management strategies. Previous studies have shown variations in...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Bucharest College of Physicians
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Modern Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://medicinamoderna.ro/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Gender-Difference-in-Frequency-Types-Risk-Factors-and-Outcome-in-Stroke-Patients.pdf |
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| Summary: | Background: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide, with nearly 17 million cases and 6 million deaths annually. Understanding gender differences in stroke epidemiology is important for optimizing prevention and management strategies. Previous studies have shown variations in risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcomes between males and females. This study aimed to investigate gender disparities in frequency, types, risk factors, and outcomes of acute stroke patients in Pakistan.
Material and Method: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Neurology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from October 2023 to April 2024. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 151 acute stroke patients aged 40-80 years presenting within 6 hours of symptom onset. Data on demographics, stroke type (ischemic/hemorrhagic) based on CT scan, vascular risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, smoking, etc.), and outcomes (in-hospital mortality or discharge) were collected through a pre-designed questionnaire.
Results: The mean age of patients was 64.5±8.9 years. Males comprised 59.6% while females were 40.4% of the sample. Hemorrhagic stroke (55.6%) was more frequent than ischemic stroke (44.4%). The most prevalent modifiable risk factors were tobacco/paan/gutka use (56.3%), hypertension (41.7%), smoking (46.4%), and diabetes mellitus (28.5%). In-hospital mortality occurred in 11.9% patients, while the remaining 88.1% were discharged alive. Stratification analysis showed no significant gender differences in mortality (p=0.889) or discharge (p=0.889) outcomes.
Conclusion: In this sample of Pakistani acute stroke patients, there were no substantial gender disparities found in the in-hospital mortality or discharge. However, males showed a non-significant predominance in frequency. The study is limited by its single-center design and small sample size. More multi-center prospective studies on gender differences across the full spectrum of stroke epidemiology are warranted in Pakistan and other South Asian populations. |
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| ISSN: | 1223-0472 2360-2473 |