Abstract

Objectives : This study investigated warning signs and stroke presymptoms and their relationship with acute stroke patients in each stroke type. Methods : 217 patients with first-ever acute stroke within 2 weeks as the case group, 146 people without four major risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and ischemic heart disease) as the healthy control group (Normals), and 160 people as the general control group (Controls) were recruited at the Stroke Medical Center in Daejeon University Oriental Medicine Hospital from July 2005 to March 2007 for this case-control study. We analyzed the odds ratio of each warning sign or presymptom by multivariate logistic analysis and evaluated each stroke type, as well as general characteristics such as age, sex, etc. Results : Paralysis or weakness of the face and limbs, visual field disorder or loss of vision or blurred and double vision in eyes or both eyes, and sudden difficulty in speaking or dysarthria showed significant increase respectively in each stroke type. In contrast, numbness or tingling sensation or lowering sensation of the face and limbs, numbness or dead sensation of 1st and 2nd fingers, tension at cervical lesion, blepharospasm, facial spasm, etc. had no significant relation with stroke occurrence. Conclusions : In this study we demonstrated that each presymptom have an influence on each stroke type and have different odds ratio for stroke. We believe this may contribute to interpreting the importance of warning signs or presymptoms for each type of stroke, and more prospective studies are needed.

Keywords

• stroke;
• warning sign;
• presymptom;
• case-control study