Time to presenting to hospital and associated factors in stroke patients: a hospital-based study in Japan

摘要

Study question This study aims to investigate multifaceted factors that constrain early stroke treatment, from both clinical and social standpoints. Medical rather than social factors were found to be associated with time of presenting to hospital. Patients with severe symptoms presented to the hospital at an earlier stage after stroke onset. What is known and what this paper adds Previous studies performed outside Japan have shown that not only medical factors, but also patient social factors, such as insufficient awareness of stroke symptoms, absence of a witness of stroke onset, and poor accessibility to an appropriate hospital, are associated with the delayed initiation of stroke treatment. To date, however, such epidemio-logic studies in Japan are limited, and this study was the first to report that medical rather than social factors were found to be associated with time of presenting to hospital among our MRI-diagnosed stroke patients.