Health
Prevalence of stroke symptoms study from Lebanon
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Prevalence of stroke symptoms : first national data from Lebanon. This is the first study conducted in the Middle East, assessing self-reported stroke symptoms among stroke- free residents.
Strokes are the second leading cause of death worldwide and subsequent disability in survivors. Low-and middle-income countries share the largest burden of over 85% of stroke deaths globally. Scarce data on the epidemiology of stroke is available for the MENA region, some of which points to it becoming an increasing major health problem with estimates that its current mortality will double by 2030. 
© NICHD/P. Basser
A study by Farah et. al. 2015 aimed to assess the prevalence of self-reported stroke symptoms in a stroke- and transient ischemic attack-free Lebanese population , and the association of these symptoms with major risk factors for stroke.
A cross-sectional study using a multistage cluster sample across Lebanon was carried out focused on residents aged 40 years and included 1515 individuals. The authors concluded: ‘This is the first study conducted in the Middle East, assessing self-reported stroke symptoms among strokefree residents. Our study showed that almost one in eight residents without a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack has had stroke symptoms. Major vascular risk factors are associated with these symptoms, thus allowing for prevention strategies.’ |
Nov 2016
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References:
Farah, R., Zeidan, R. K., Chahine, M. N., Asmar, R., Chahine, R., Salameh, P. and Hosseini, H. (2015), Prevalence of stroke symptoms among stroke-free residents: first national data from Lebanon. Int J Stroke, 10: 83–88. doi:10.1111/ijs.12563. |