Prevalence of silent stroke in Kurdistan, Iraq

OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of silent strokes in the Iraqi Kurdish population, and to identify silent stroke risk factors.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil, Iraq from January to June 2009. A sample of 200 patients attending the outpatient clinic was taken. The results of CT and MRI were analyzed, and the proportion of silent infarcts was measured. Patients were interviewed for presence of hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, alcohol drinking, and smoking. Body mass index and serum lipid levels were calculated.

RESULTS: Out of 200 subjects, 19% showed silent infarct(s). Logistic regression analysis showed significant association between hypertension and old age with presence of silent infarcts. The age of affected individuals was significantly higher than the age of the non-affected individuals.

CONCLUSION: The percentage of silent infarcts among apparently normal individuals in the Kurdish population is around 19%, and physicians must always keep this diagnosis in mind, especially among hypertensive and older aged patients.