Epidemiology and assessment of Seasonal Variation among patients with stroke at a tertiary care hospital, Karachi, Pakistan; A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background & objectives: Although seasonal changes in stroke are widely studied in many industrialized nations, little is known about them in Pakistan. The study's objective was to investigate seasonal variations in stroke and its subtypes among patients who were seen at a Karachi tertiary care facility.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital (Agha Khan hospital for 1 year, from August 2007- July 2008, among newly diagnosed stroke patients with a history, and CT or MRI. A total of 235 patients, who presented with stroke during the year, via a convenient sample were taken for this study. Data was collected on a Performa, later analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Result: The mean age of the patients, who ranged in age from 18 to 95, was 60.9 (SD 12.89). There were 146 (62.1%) men. 82 (34.9%) of the 235 cases showed up in the winter, 69 (29.5%) in the spring, 44 (18.7%) in the summer, and 40 (17%) in the fall. Of the 177 (75.3%) ischemic stroke cases, 57 (24.3%) occurred in the winter, 52 (22.1%) in the spring, and 34 (14.5%) in the fall. In winter, there were 25 hemorrhagic strokes (10.6%), in spring, 17 (7.2%), 10 (4.3%), and 6 (2.6%).

Conclusion: In the winter and spring, there were more stroke admissions.  The number of stroke admissions was higher in the winter and spring seasons as compared to summer and autumn. No significant difference was found in the types of strokes due to seasonal variation.