Epidemiologie des accidents vasculaires cerebraux dans la commune de Lome (Togo) : Etude preliminaire.

Stroke is the third cause of death among hospitalized patients and the first aetiology of permanent physical disability throughout the world. They are public health problem not also in developed countriesbut also in developing ones. Aims of the study: The aim of this study was the feasibility and the installation of stroke register in orderto acquire a better understanding of particularities and epidemiology of this disease among our populations.Patients and method: A transversal and prospective study was employed to index epidemiology, clinic, paraclinic and evolutive data of patients hospitalized for stroke in 28 public and private health centres in Lome from July 15th to January 14th 2005.Results: 334 patients were hospitalized for stroke during the study period. This represented 2, 26 % of all hospitalized population. 99, 02% of these patients were in public hospitals. The incidence rate ofstroke was 79, 6 for 100.000 inhabitants. Patient’s age average was 59 years with a standard deviation (SD) of 13, 2. Average length time before admission in the health centre was 55 hours with 207, 5 SD.Average Rankin score scale at the admission was 3, 7 with 1, 1 SD. Average Rankin score scale at the release was 2, 3 with 0, 8 SD. 49, 7% of the patients had a cerebral CT scan done. 54, 8 % of stroke wasischemic; 45, 2% were haemorrhagic and 10, 8 % were meningeal bleeding. The main risk factors were high blood pressure (87, 3%), diabetes (17, 5%), hypercholesterolemia (4, 2%), irregular heart rate (4,2%). Hospital length stay average was 17 days with 8, 5 SD. Mortality rate was 27, 5%. This represented 7, 8% of all deaths registered during the study period