Assuntos

Assuntos

RESUMO

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability, with most of its burden now affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). People in rural areas of LMIC who have a stroke receive very little acute stroke care and local healthcare workers and family caregivers in these regions lack the necessary knowledge to assist them. Intriguingly, a recent rapid growth in cell-phone use and digital technology in rural areas has not yet been appropriately exploited for health care training and delivery purposes. What should be done in rural areas, at the community setting-level, where access to healthcare is limited remains a challenge. We review the evidence on improving post-stroke outcomes including lowering the risks of functional disability, stroke recurrence, and mortality, and propose some approaches, to target post-stroke care and rehabilitation, noting key challenges in designing suitable interventions and emphasizing the advantages mHealth and communication technologies can offer. In the article, we present the prevailing stroke care situation and technological opportunities in rural Peru as a case study. As such, by addressing major limitations in rural healthcare systems, we investigate the potential of task-shifting complemented with technology to utilize and strengthen both community-based informal caregivers and community healthcare workers.

Assuntos

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Implementation of contextually appropriate, evidence-based, expert-recommended stroke prevention guideline is particularly important in Low-Income Countries (LMICs), which bear disproportional larger burden of stroke while possessing fewer resources. However, key quality characteristics of guidelines issued in LMICs compared with those in High-Income Countries (HICs) have not been systematically studied. We aimed to compare important features of stroke prevention guidelines issued in these groups. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, AJOL, SciELO, and LILACS databases for stroke prevention guidelines published between January 2005 and December 2015 by country. Primary search items included: "Stroke" and "Guidelines". We critically appraised the articles for evidence level, issuance frequency, translatability to clinical practice, and ethical considerations. We followed the PRISMA guidelines for the elaboration process. RESULTS: Among 36 stroke prevention guidelines published, 22 (61%) met eligibility criteria: 8 from LMICs (36%) and 14 from HICs (64%). LMIC-issued guidelines were less likely to have articulation of recommendations (62% vs. 100%, p=0.03), involve high quality systematic reviews (21% vs. 79%, p=0.006), have a good dissemination channels (12% vs 71%, p=0.02) and have an external reviewer (12% vs 57%, p=0.07). The patient views and preferences were the most significant stakeholder considerations in HIC (57%, p=0.01) compared with LMICs. The most frequent evidence grading system was American Heart Association (AHA) used in 22% of the guidelines. The Class I/III and Level (A) recommendations were homogenous among LMICs. CONCLUSIONS: The quality and quantity of stroke prevention guidelines in LMICs are less than those of HICs and need to be significantly improved upon.

Assuntos

RESUMO

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Increasing evidence links infections to atherosclerosis. Case-control and cohort studies have found that infections, especially respiratory and dental, are associated with coronary heart disease. However, data on the association of infections with cerebrovascular disease are limited, especially beyond Europe and the United States. We assessed the relationship between recent infections and atherothrombotic disease in a South American cohort. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of 105 cases and 354 control subjects in a Buenos Aires healthcare system matched by age (mean age, 73.2+/-12.3 and 72.9+/-12.8 years), sex, and major cardiovascular risk factors. Cases were patients hospitalized with atherothrombotic ischemic stroke from December 2006 to October 2007. Control subjects were randomly assigned from an electronic outpatient database. Data from the preceding year on inpatient and ambulatory respiratory, urinary and abdominal infections as well as peripheral white blood cell count were collected. RESULTS: Infections were more frequent in cases than control subjects (29% versus 13%; OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.4 to 4.5; P=0.0004); however, this was driven by community-acquired respiratory tract infections (19% versus 6%; OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.9 to 8; P<0.001) because there were no differences between cases and control subjects for other types of infection. Respiratory tract infections were the most prevalent type of infection during the 3 months before an atherothrombotic ischemic event, occurring more in cases compared with control subjects (17% versus 4%; OR, 5; 95% CI, 2.2 to 11.3; P<0.001). In multivariable analysis adjusting for major vascular risk factors, history of respiratory infection in the prior year was associated more with cases than control subjects (OR, 4.9; 95% CI, 2.3 to 10.2;P<0.001). White blood cell count was slightly higher in cases versus control subjects (7602+/-2058 versus 7121.6+/-1947, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In this South American cohort, recent respiratory tract infections were significantly associated with atherothrombotic stroke, suggesting that prompt identification and treatment of individuals with or at risk for these infections may mitigate the burden from this type of stroke.

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