Evaluation of Etiology, Risk Factors and Prognosis of Recurrent Stroke at Tertiary Care Facility, Rajasthan

Introduction: Recurrent strokes are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Identication of etiology, type and risk factors associated with recurrent stroke, may play an essential role in the prevention of further stroke. Objective: Assessment of etiology, risk factors and prognosis of recurrent stroke at 3 months follow-up. Methods: It was a hospital based observational prospective study conducted at a tertiary care facility, Jaipur for one year duration. Total 55 patients with radiologically conrmed diagnosis of recurrent stroke were included in our study. Data related to history, demography, risk factors and imaging were collected. Modied rankin scale was calculated on admission and at 3 month follow up. Data were analyzed using 't' test and chi-square test. Result: Most common type of recurrent stroke was ischemic stroke (91%). In cases of recurrent ischemic stroke, small vessel occlusion was most common (26%) subtype. The frequent risk factors were hypertension (89%), sedentary life style (78%) and dyslipidemia (71%). Maximum cases had ischemic to ischemic (83.6%) pattern of recurrence. Majority of patients (51%) had recurrence after 12 months of their previous stroke. Most common reason for stroke recurrence was non-compliance to medication (58%). Mortality was signicantly higher in hemorrhagic group (60%), than ischemic group, at 3 months follow-up (p value<0.05). Conclusion: Recurrent stroke can be preventable to a much extent, by controlling vascular risk factors. This can be achieved with ensuring better compliance to medications and secondary lifestyle modications along with proper workup to nd stroke etiology.