THE TEL-AVIV-STROKE-REGISTRY - 3600 CONSECUTIVE PATIENTS

Background and Purpose We undertook to estimate the frequency of vario us risk factors and the type and severity of stroke in different ethni c groups documented in a large hospital-based stroke registry. Tel Avi v is a metropolis with about 400 000 inhabitants and about 600 000 dai ly visitors and workers. The Tel Aviv Medical Center (TAMC) is the onl y tertiary medical care facility to which all patients with acute stro ke are referred. Israel is a country with a heterogeneous population, of which a significant proportion was born abroad. The people differ i n their genetic background, as well as in their early environmental co nditions, lifelong diet, and other habits. This variety has proved to be a fertile ground for the study of different neurological diseases, including stroke. Methods A prospective hospital-based registry using systematic computer coding of data of all consecutive stroke patients admitted to the TAMC has been conducted since May 1988. Different aspe cts of the amassed data were analyzed statistically. Results From May 1988 until April 1994, 3600 stroke patients were admitted to the TAMC. The mean age was 73.2 years, and 58.2% were males. Cerebral infarctio ns were diagnosed in 80.9%, primary intracerebral hemorrhages in 8.0%, and transient ischemic attacks in 11.1%. There were 861 patients (24% ) who were admitted with recurrent strokes. Past medical history of hy pertension was the major risk factor (occurring in 52.2% of the patien ts), followed by ischemic heart disease (29.7%), diabetes mellitus (25 .2%), smoking (17.0%), atrial fibrillation (14.3%), and hyperlipidemia (8.4%). Ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation were more freq uent in patients from Europe and America (Ashkenazi group), whereas di abetes mellitus and smoking were more prominent in the other groups. T he in-hospital mortality rate was 13.8% and was similar in both ethnic groups. Conclusions This registry allows the study of the risk factor s, natural history, and clinical manifestations of stroke in different ethnic groups.