Investigation of recurrence of stroke in acute ischemic stroke

One-year stroke recurrence in acute ischemic strokes ranges from 5.5-17.7%. Despite the current approaches used in secondary prophylaxis, it is known that this rate has not decreased in the last 20 years. In this study, our aim is to determine the stroke recurrence rate during the 6-month follow-up period after ischemic stroke, to investigate the factors affecting stroke recurrence and to prevent it. 796 adult patients admitted to Eskişehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty Stroke Center with the diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke between 25.05.2021 and 30.04.2022 were included in the study. The patients were followed for 6 months. Patients with and without stroke recurrence were divided into two groups. The groups were compared in terms of determining the factors affecting stroke recurrence. The mean age of the patients was 69.4; 351 (44.1%) of the patients were female and 445 (55.9%) were male. No significant correlation was found between stroke recurrence and stroke etiology (p=0.452). Stroke recurrence was significantly higher in patients with a previous stroke history (p=0.008) and in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis (p=0.036). Age, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking and alcohol use were not found to be significant risk factors for recurrent stroke. The admission NIHSS score was found to be lower in patients with recurrent stroke compared to those who did not (p=0.013). Determining the underlying etiological subtype for stroke patients and determining secondary prophylaxis strategies suitable for these subtypes may reduce stroke recurrence. Key Words: Recurrence, ischemic stroke, secondary prevention