A study on awareness of risk factors and warning symptoms of stroke in general population of andhra pradesh,south india

Abstract

Stroke is one of the most common neurological disorders in clinical practice. It is the leading cause of adult disability. The aim of the study was to assess the awareness of warning symptoms and risk factors of stroke among general population of South India. The study subjects were the general population who visited OPD of the Urban Health Centre of Katuri Medical College and Hospital, Guntur(A.P.),India. 49.35% subjects knew hypertension as risk factors of stroke. 44.70% study subjects knew alcohol consumption as risk factor of stroke.Only 22.22% study subjects knew obesity as risk factor for stroke. 46.77% of study subjects had knowledge of sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg especially one side of the body as warning symptoms of stroke .43.67% study subjects had knowledge of sudden confusion /sudden difficulty in speaking/ sudden difficulty in understanding written and spoken words as warning symptom of stroke.