Evaluation of Stroke Severity among Patients Admitted to the Neurological Ward at Shar Teaching Hospital, Sulaymaniyah City

Abstract

Background: Stroke is an acute neurological disorder that causes cell death by reducing or interrupting blood flow to the brain, and it is the second leading cause of death worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate stroke severity among patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the neurological ward of Shar Teaching Hospital in Sulaymaniyah City, involving 90 patients with acute stroke. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) was used to evaluate stroke severity. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 22, was used to analyze the data. Results: About three-quarters (71.1%) of patients were between 50 and 74years of age, mean age of the patients was 68.2 ± 8.8 years, and there was a slight male predominance (54.4%). The majority had hypertension (73.3%), followed by cardiac disease (42.2%), diabetes mellitus (28.9%), smoking (23.3%), and obesity (10%). Based on NIHSS scores, it was found that more than half (53.3%) were classified as having a moderate grade, followed by moderate-severe (23.3%), mild (13.3%), and severe (10%). Conclusion: The study concluded that more than half of patients had moderate severity levels of stroke. The severity level was significantly associated with age, gender, place of residence, hypertension, cardiac diseases and smoking. There was no significant association with education, occupation, diabetes mellitus and body mass index.