CLINICAL AND TOPOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH STROKE IN AN EMERGENCY UNIT

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is considered the first cause of death worldwide and of permanent incapacity in adults, which demands it to be detected and treated as soon as possible. There are studies describing risk factors for stroke, but it is not clear how these risk factors interfere with the patients’ outcomes. Objective: To characterize the epidemiological profile of patients admitted to an emergency unit of a city on the Central-West region of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and diagnosed with stroke. Material and Methods: The clinical prognosis of these patients was evaluated and correlated with the lesions shown (if present) by computed tomography (CT) images through the ASPECT score and NIH Stroke Scale. Results: A total of 59 patients were examined, being observed a high incidence of arterial hypertension (89,8%) and sedentarism (40,3%). CT was undertaken in 27.6% of the admitted patients and the most frequent damaged area was the right brain hemisphere (44%). Patient prognosis evaluated through NIHSS demonstrated that 33.9% of the patients had a score between 0 and 7 (good prognosis). Patients who had a previous history of stroke showed a worse prognosis based on the NIHSS. About 20.3% of the patients were admitted to the emergency unit less than 4 hours and 30 minutes after the ictus. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertensive, sedentary, dyslipidemic, diabetic, smoker, and alcoholic patients, with previous history of stroke, in the city under study. This profile indicates the need for interventions in the local primary care, in addition to patient follow-up after discharge. DESCRIPTORS Stroke. Prognosis. Tomography Computed.