Stroke: a fifth of patients had a recurrent stroke within 5 years.

Clinical bottom line (level 1b)

  1. A fifth of patients who had a first stroke had a recurrent stroke within 5 years.
Burn et al: Stroke 1994; 25: 333-337
Expires December 2002

The study

Prospective cohort study with objective outcomes, adjusted for confounding factors, validated in an independent set of patients.

Setting: population-based, UK

675 patients (aged mean 72 years, 53% female) first-ever stroke


100% followed for 5 years (range 2 and 6.5 years)
Outcomes studied:
  • stroke recurrence

    • The evidence

    outcome time to outcome number of patients/total number %
    (95% CI)
    stroke recurrence 5 years (range 2 and 6.5 years) 135/675 20.0%
    (16.98% to 23.02%)

    • In a univariate analysis, smoking gave an odds ratio of 1.66 (95% CI 1.10 to 2.51).

    Comments

    1. There was a low use of antiplatelet agents in this study, which will raise the recurrence rate.

    Citation

    1. Burn J, Dennis M, Bamford J, et al: Long-term risk of recurrent stroke after a first-ever stroke: The Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project. Stroke 1994; 25: 333-337
    Contributor: Clare Wotton and Musab Hayatli, December 1999
    Reviewer: Daniel Sontheimer

    Clinical Question.
    Patient first-ever stroke
    Intervention or Exposure presence of prognostic factors
    Comparison absence of prognostic factors
    Outcome recurrent stroke