Abstract
Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the main cause of disability in Europe. In developed countries, stroke mortality has been declining over the last 30-40 years, with more than a 70% decrease in stroke mortality in the Czech Republic, paralleled by a significant decrease in the number of hospitalization for stroke, mean length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality.
The aim of this study was to analyze secondary prevention in post-stroke patients. A total of 736 consecutive patients (425 males, 311 females) with a mean age of 65.7 +- 10.5 years hospitalized for their first-ever ischemic stroke in Thomayer Hospital in Prague and University Hospital in Pilsen were enrolled.
Follow-up visits were attended by 424 patients (response rate 69.7%), we found a high prevalence of major risk factors and their unsatisfactory control. Our results thus show inadequate implementation of guidelines for the secondary prevention of stroke in clinical practice.