A retrospective cohort study examining secondary prevention post stroke in primary care in an Asian setting

BACKGROUND: Stroke is one of the top contributors to burden of disability-adjusted life-years worldwide.

Family physicians have key role in optimising secondary prevention following stroke by managing clinical risk factors and promoting overall control in accordance with clinical practice guidelines.

METHODS: Our objectives were: (i) to examine level of overall risk factor control together with control of singular risk factors one-year after an index-stroke event in individuals attending primary care facility and (ii) to describe factors associated with satisfactory risk factors control in individuals following stroke.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

We conducted a study looking retrospectively at records from our electronic chronic disease database.

Our study included individuals following stroke who visited primary care setting in Singapore between January 2012 to December 2016.

RESULTS: There were 24,240 individuals in our study.

Overall control was better in individuals without diabetes following stroke (49.2%) as compared to those with diabetes (28.1%).

Among individuals without diabetes following stroke, factors significantly associated with overall control were sex (male) [OR (reference: female): 1.23, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.39], ethnicity (Malay) [OR (reference: Chinese): 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.90], BMI (high risk) [OR (reference: low risk): 0.72, 95% CI: 0.62, 0.84) and atrial fibrillation [OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.78].

Among individuals with diabetes following stroke, factors significantly associated with overall control were sex (male) [OR (reference: female): 1.28, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.46], ethnicity (Malay) [OR (reference: Chinese): 0.81, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.99], ethnicity (Indian) [OR (reference: Chinese): 0.70, 95% CI: 0.55, 0.88], BMI (high risk) [OR (reference: low risk): 0.71, 95% CI: 0.59, 0.84), BMI (moderate risk) [OR (reference: low risk): 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.98), atrial fibrillation [OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.51], chronic kidney disease [OR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.72] and smoking status [OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.88].

CONCLUSION: We reported sub-optimal level of overall control.

Among individuals following stroke, those with diabetes had higher proportion of sub-optimal control as compared to those without diabetes.

Irrespective of diabetic status, being female, having high BMI, and of Malay ethnicity as compared to Chinese ethnicity were associated with poorer overall risk factor control.