Selcuk OZKAN, Naim ATA

Stroke awareness in people with hypertension

Having the public be able to recognize stroke symptoms are the most important factor in order to decrease delaying optimal treatment. The aim of this study is to assess stroke aware of hypertensive patients are about strokes. The study group consisted of 350 consecutive hypertensive patients. A self-administered questionnaire that was prepared by two skilled cardiologist was given to the study subjects. The questionnaire was designed to gather data demographics, how they defined what a stroke was, risk factors, symptoms, behavior at the onset of stroke, prevalence of stroke, and knowledge about hypertension-related complications. A total of 336 subjects completed and returned the questionnaire (96% response rate). Their mean age was 53.2±5.2. The majority of subjects were female (206, 61%). The prevalence of stroke history was 3.7% (12 subjects) in the population. Three hundred (89%) subjects were aware of the stroke risks associated of hypertension. Paralysis (255, 76%) and aphasia (232, 69%) were the most widely known symptoms for stroke. While level of awareness did not differ between either genders, it did differ when it came to age and level of education. Hypertensive patients have a high level of awareness about the risk of stroke in association with their disease. But the other risk factors and symptoms were not well known. The attempts for improving educational level can be helpful in order to increase awareness of stroke among hypertension patients.

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