Circadian Variation in the Onset of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background: To evaluate the relation of circadian variation on onset of acute ischemic stroke.Methods: In this descriptive study 181patients with ischemic stroke were included. The time of onset of symptoms to determine the circadian variation was noted. In order to determine the frequency of acute ischemic stroke associated with circadian variation, the time of day was divided into four equal intervals of 6 hours each. Time of stroke onset was noted and each patient was bracketed in a particular six hour time period. These six hour periods were 0-6, 6:01-12, 12:01-18, and 18:01-24 hours.Results : Out of 181 patients, majority (44.8%) had acute ischemic stroke during 6:00-12:00 hours. Mean age of the study population was 69.09 +12.607 with age range from 36 to 97 years . Majority (74.6%) were male.Conclusion: Incidence of ischemic stroke is significantly increased in the morning 6:01-12:00 hours