Frequencies of different vascular etiologies and clinical presentations in post-partum women with suspected stroke.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequencies of different vascular etiologies and clinical presentations in post-partum women with suspected stroke. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Medicine, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Period: November 2022 to May 2023. Material & Methods: A total of 117 female patients aged between 18-45 years in post-partum period of 30 days after delivery having clinical diagnosis of suspected stroke were included. All patients were evaluated and clinical presentation and frequency of different vascular etiologies were noted. Results: In 117 women, the mean age was 32.01±5.67 years while 59 (50.4%) women were aged ≤35 years of age. Headache was found in 61 (52.1%), seizures 56 (47.9%), altered consciousness 26 (22.2%) and weakness in 16 (13.7%) patients. Frequencies of different vascular etiologies in post-partum women with suspected stroke were cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in 21 (17.9%), arterial thrombosis 7 (6.0%) and hemorrhagic stroke in 89 (76.1%) patients. Conclusion: Hemorrhagic stroke was the most common vascular etiology whereas headache was the commonest clinical presentation in post-partum women with suspected stroke.