BACKGROUND: Brazil has one of the highest stroke mortality rates in the world, these rates are most endemic in the poor. We verified the prevalence of stroke in a deprived neighbourhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil and compared it with other surveys worldwide. METHODS: A questionnaire with six questions concerning limb and facial weakness, articulation, sensory disturbances, impaired vision, and past diagnosis of stroke was completed door-to-door in a well-defined area of 15,000 people. Questionnaires were considered positive when a participant answered two or more questions about stroke symptoms or the presence of stroke being confirmed by a physician, or at least three questions in the positive, even if not confirmed by a doctor. RESULTS: Of the 4496 individuals over 35-years old living in the area, 243 initially screened positive for stroke. The age-adjusted prevalence rate for men was 4·6% (95% confidence interval 3·5-5·7). For women, the prevalence rate was 6·5% (95% confidence interval 5·5-7·5); when considering only one question, the rate was 4·8% (95% confidence interval 3·9-5·7). The most commonly reported symptoms were limb weakness and sensory disturbances. Hypertension and heart disease were the conditions most commonly associated with previous stroke. CONCLUSION: Stroke prevalence rates were higher in this poor neighbourhood compared with other surveys.
BACKGROUND: Brazil has one of the highest stroke mortality rates in the world, these rates are most endemic in the poor. We verified the prevalence of stroke in a deprived neighbourhood in the city of São Paulo, Brazil and compared it with other surveys worldwide. METHODS: A questionnaire with six questions concerning limb and facial weakness, articulation, sensory disturbances, impaired vision, and past diagnosis of stroke was completed door-to-door in a well-defined area of 15,000 people. Questionnaires were considered positive when a participant answered two or more questions about stroke symptoms or the presence of stroke being confirmed by a physician, or at least three questions in the positive, even if not confirmed by a doctor. RESULTS: Of the 4496 individuals over 35-years old living in the area, 243 initially screened positive for stroke. The age-adjusted prevalence rate for men was 4·6% (95% confidence interval 3·5-5·7). For women, the prevalence rate was 6·5% (95% confidence interval 5·5-7·5); when considering only one question, the rate was 4·8% (95% confidence interval 3·9-5·7). The most commonly reported symptoms were limb weakness and sensory disturbances. Hypertension and heart disease were the conditions most commonly associated with previous stroke. CONCLUSION:Stroke prevalence rates were higher in this poor neighbourhood compared with other surveys.
Authors: Gláucia Maria Moraes de Oliveira; Luisa Campos Caldeira Brant; Carisi Anne Polanczyk; Deborah Carvalho Malta; Andreia Biolo; Bruno Ramos Nascimento; Maria de Fatima Marinho de Souza; Andrea Rocha De Lorenzo; Antonio Aurélio de Paiva Fagundes Júnior; Beatriz D Schaan; Fábio Morato de Castilho; Fernando Henpin Yue Cesena; Gabriel Porto Soares; Gesner Francisco Xavier Junior; Jose Augusto Soares Barreto Filho; Luiz Guilherme Passaglia; Marcelo Martins Pinto Filho; M Julia Machline-Carrion; Marcio Sommer Bittencourt; Octavio M Pontes Neto; Paolo Blanco Villela; Renato Azeredo Teixeira; Roney Orismar Sampaio; Thomaz A Gaziano; Pablo Perel; Gregory A Roth; Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2022-01 Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: Gláucia Maria Moraes de Oliveira; Luisa Campos Caldeira Brant; Carisi Anne Polanczyk; Andreia Biolo; Bruno Ramos Nascimento; Deborah Carvalho Malta; Maria de Fatima Marinho de Souza; Gabriel Porto Soares; Gesner Francisco Xavier Junior; M Julia Machline-Carrion; Marcio Sommer Bittencourt; Octavio M Pontes Neto; Odilson Marcos Silvestre; Renato Azeredo Teixeira; Roney Orismar Sampaio; Thomaz A Gaziano; Gregory A Roth; Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2020-09 Impact factor: 2.667
Authors: Gustavo W Kuster; Lívia A Dutra; Israel P Brasil; Evelyn P Pacheco; Márcio A C Arruda; Cristiane Volcov; Renan B Domingues Journal: Stroke Res Treat Date: 2014-12-11
Authors: Hamdy N El Tallawy; Wafaa Ma Farghaly; Tarek A Rageh; Ahmed O Saleh; Taha Ah Mestekawy; Manal Mm Darwish; Mohamed A Abd El Hamed; Anwar M Ali; Doaa M Mahmoud Journal: Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat Date: 2016-08-30 Impact factor: 2.570