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Letters

General perception of stroke

BMJ 2002; 325 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.325.7360.392/a (Published 17 August 2002) Cite this as: BMJ 2002;325:392

Knowledge of stroke is lacking

  1. Abhaya Gupta, specialist registrar on geriatric medicine (guptaabhaya@hotmail.com),
  2. Peter Thomas, consultant physician
  1. Llandough Hospital, Cardiff CF64 2XX
  2. Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli SA14 8QF
  3. Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds LS1 3EX
  4. James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Republic of Ireland
  5. Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Tallaght, Dublin 24

    EDITOR—Yoon and Byles found that the recognition of symptoms of stroke and risk factors for it was poor.1 Lack of knowledge results in delays in seeking medical care.2 As a result, patients with stroke may fail to gain the benefits of acute treatments—for example, acute thrombolysis—because of the narrow therapeutic window.3

    We conducted a large prospective questionnaire study among elderly patients attending a UK hospital clinic.4 Patients with established risk factors for stroke (atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hypertension, previous stroke, transient ischaemic attack) were interviewed. A total of 410 patients (mean age 78) gave their responses to a …

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