European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Worldwide, stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability and there are substantial economic costs for post-stroke care. Results from the 2015 iteration of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) reported that although the age-standardized death rates and prevalence of stroke have decreased over time, the overall burden of stroke has remained high. As populations age, and low-income and middle-income countries go through the epidemiological transition from infectious to non-communicable diseases as the predominant cause of morbidity, together with concomitant increases in modifiable risk factors, it is expected that the burden of stroke will increase further until effective stroke prevention strategies are more widely implemented.¹
In India, age-standardized prevalence of cerebrovascular diseases has increased by 12.2% and the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) has increased by 53% from the period raging between 1990 to 2016. It has been seen as the fifth leading cause for years of life lost and DALYs in 2016. Increasing life expectancy and risk exposure is linked with the increasing prevalence of stroke and disability among the survivors, with significant socioeconomic consequences for patients, care givers, and health services.²
Attitude or outlook towards the stroke is affected by the knowledge along with the practices undertaken by people to prevent and treat stroke. Appropriate knowledge of stroke risk factors and warning signs, practices of stroke prevention or the immediate action that is necessary in dealing with a stroke patient can arrest both mortality and morbidity among the public.³
Further, in-spite of availability of thrombolytic therapy, patients do not arrive in time for the treatment this may be due to lack of awareness of stroke & its risk factors. Hence, we chose to carry out the survey with the objective to determine the level of knowledge about stroke and its treatment.