EVALUATION OF RISK FACTORS FOR DELAYED DIAGNOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH HEMORRHAGIC STROKE
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Abstract
Objectives: To identify risk factors associated with delayed diagnosis in patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 283 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. All statistical tests were two-tailed and a p-value threshold of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Atypical presentations of hemorrhagic stroke were observed in 4.9% of hemorrhagic stroke patients. Several clinical features were significantly associated with an increased risk of delayed diagnosis, including dizziness (OR = 3.58), absence of impaired consciousness (OR = 3.40), absence of language impairment (OR = 6.10), absence of limp paralysis (OR = 5.67), absence of cranial nerve VII palsy (OR = 5.47), negative FAST test (OR = 8.50), and low NIHSS score ≤ 4 (OR = 4.02). Conclusion: Patients with mild clinical severity (NIHSS ≤ 4) and absence of typical symptoms (e.g., paralysis, cranial nerve VII palsy, or language impairment) are at significantly higher risk of misdiagnosis. Notably, the absence of symptoms in hemorrhagic stroke according to FAST criteria exhibited an 8.5-fold increased risk of delayed diagnosis.
Keywords
Hemorrhagic stroke, Atypical stroke, Diagnostic delay, Misdiagnosis
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References
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