Is there a change in the prevalence of stroke risk factors over the past decade in Benin City, Nigeria?

Abstract

Aim:
Stroke remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. Our previous study on the reappraisal of risk factors for stroke over a decade ago identified various risk factors for stroke. With increasing trend in stroke mortality and morbidity in Nigerian Africans, are these stroke risk factors still relevant? This study was designed to identify a decade after, if there has been a change in the pattern of risk factors for stroke.

Materials/ Methods:
This was an observational cross-sectional study, which recruited eighty-four patients with clinical and neuro-imaging diagnosis of stroke. Risk factors for stroke were determined including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, obesity, history of previous stroke and cardiac factors. These were compared to stroke risk factors identified in our previous study.

Results:
The mean age of the subjects was 61.1(12.7) years. 81% of participants were hypertensive and hypertension was still the commonest risk factor for stroke identified. 76.3% had dyslipidaemia while 10.7% were obese which were significantly different from the earlier study. A history of previous stroke (P=0.04), a history of significant alcohol consumption (P=0.026) and a history of cigarette smoking (P=0.014) were associated with more severe strokes. .

Conclusion:
There has been no major change in the pattern of stroke risk factors. Hypertension remains the most dominant and modifiable risk factor for stroke.