Stroke in older people in Brazil: prevalence, associated factors, limitations and care practices. A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular diseases, especially ischemic heart disease and stroke, are the main causes of mortality in older people.

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of stroke in older people in Brazil, we investigated its associations with sociodemographic factors, health-related behaviors, chronic diseases, body mass index and self-rated health and determined the frequency of limitations related to disease and care practices.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

This population-based, cross-sectional study used data from the 2019 Brazilian National Health Survey.

METHODS

This study included older people aged ≥ 60 years (n = 22,728) who answered the question, "Has any doctor ever given you a diagnosis of stroke?" Adjusted odds ratios were estimated using logistic regression.

RESULTS

The prevalence of stroke was 5.6% (95% confidence interval = 5.1-6.1) and was higher in men, individuals aged ≥ 70 years, those with a lower income, those without health insurance, ex-smokers, physically inactive individuals, those with excess weight/obesity, those who rated their own health as fair/poor/very poor and those who reported hypertension, diabetes, kidney failure, depression and heart disease. The most adopted care practices were follow-ups by a healthcare provider (60.8%), medication use (59.3%) and diet (47.2%). Only 17.0% of patients underwent physiotherapy, and 53.7% reported limitations in habitual activities.

CONCLUSIONS

Subgroups of people more affected by stroke were identified, which included older individuals, those with lower socioeconomic status, ex-smokers and those with neuroendocrine and cardiovascular comorbidities. Less than 20% of patients underwent physiotherapy, which underscores the need to expand multidisciplinary care in the health network.