Prognostic factors in the survival of 1,484 stroke cases observed for 30 to 48 months. I. Diagnostic types and descriptive variables

Abstract

Survival and factors affecting survival were studied in 1,484 new cases of acute definite stroke occurring between Jan 1, 1970, and June 30, 1971, in Manitoba. The 962 infarctions, 279 hemorrhages, and 243 unidentified strokes were ascertained from hospital claim reports. Personal, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from hospital medical records, death certificates, and autopsy reports. Cases were followed up until Dec 31, 1973, to determine survival. Survival was significantly better in infarction than in hemorrhage, in subarachnoid hemorrhage than in intracerebral hemorrhage, in men than in women, in the young than in the old, in the married than in the single, in hemorrhage cases from rural areas than from urban areas, and in those discharged home than in those transferred to long-term care hospitals. These data may help in predicting the outcome of stroke and in planning for more efficient care.