One year prognosis after suffering the onset of cerebrovascular disease in patients from a public hospital in Lima, Peru

Abstract

In Latin America, there is almost nonexistense information about the prognosis of patients with stroke. We tried to find oneyear vital and functional prognosis from patients with “first-ever stroke”. We did a prospective cohort study, recruiting patients in the medicine service of a public hospital, and follow them up to one year after their first-ever stroke. We collected baseline data, such as previous medical history and information about their stroke. We found mortality proportions, differences among subgroups, and compared their actual and initial functionality. We included 101 patients, 20.8% of whom died during the follow-up, with higher mortality in people over 65 years old and those severely disabled after the stroke. The functionality did not improve after one year. One out of five patients with a first-ever stroke dies a year after it, with higher mortality in elders and in people with severe disability. We conclude it is mandatory to develop a follow-up and support program to prevent unfavorable outcomes in patients who suffer stroke.