The Perugia hospital-based Stroke Registry: report of the 2nd year.

This study reports the characteristics of stroke patients admitted to our hospital in the period Jan 1st, 1998-Dec 31st 1999. Seven hundred and ninety seven consecutive subjects (412 males; mean age 71 +/- 13 years) with a first-ever stroke were registered. Two-thirds of patients (65%) were admitted to the Stroke Unit (SU). The remaining part was managed in six general medicine wards (GM) or other services [neurosurgery and intensive care units (ICU+ NS)]. Ischemic stroke occurred in 534 subjects (67%). The high prevalence (30.1%) of haemorrhages can be partly explained by the presence of specialized neurosurgical services. Athero-thrombotic infarctions occurred in 21.7% of patients, lacunar in 24.7%, cardioembolic in 18.1%, other determined in 6.1%, and other undetermined in 27.5%. Overall hospital mortality was 10%. In cerebral hemorrhage mortality was 18% (44/240) vs. 6.3% (32/534) in ischemic stroke (p < 0.05). The distribution of stroke types and mortality was similar to other previous reports.