Prognostic Factors for a Poor Outcome of Stroke

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to evaluate prognostic factors for poor stroke outcome within one year after the onset of illness in the Kaunas population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patient’ group consisted of 331 men and women with a first-ever stroke who were treated in two Kaunas hospitals during 1997-1998. Data were gathered using a “hot pursuit” approach. Methods were those applied by the EC BIOMED-2 protocol. All stroke patients were followed up for 1 year. End-point of the present study was death due to any cause. Relative risk estimates were based on the Cox model. RESULTS: Age at the onset of the disease, impaired consciousness, and incontinence were the only independent predictors of death during the first twelve months after the first-ever stroke. Increase in patient’ age by one year was associated with 4% increased risk of death. Impaired consciousness was associated with 3-fold (Relative risk estimate (RR) = 2.76; p = 0.0004), and incontinence – with 4-fold (RR = 3.56; p < 0.0001) increased risk of death during the first year after stroke onset. CONSLUSION: In addition to factors describing severity of stroke, just age was independently related with the poor outcome after the first-ever.