Ischemic Stroke Outcomes Worse for Mexican-Americans

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Mexican-Americans (MAs) experience worse stroke outcomes than non-Hispanic whites.

(HealthDay News) — Mexican-Americans (MAs) experience worse stroke outcomes than non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published online March 13 in Stroke.

Lynda D. Lisabeth, PhD, from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, and colleagues utilized data from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project to compare ischemic stroke outcomes in MAs and non-Hispanic whites (2008–2012; 64% MAs). Patient or proxy interviews were conducted at baseline and 90 days poststroke. Ethnic differences were assessed in neurological (513 patients), functional (510 patients), and cognitive (415 patients) outcomes.

The researchers found that MAs scored 3 on the median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, 2.5 on the activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score, and 88 on the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination. Compared with non-Hispanic whites, MAs scored 48%, 0.36 points, and 3.39 points worse on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living score, and the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination, respectively, after multivariate adjustment.

“These findings in combination with the increased stroke risk in MAs suggest that the public health burden of stroke in this growing population is substantial,” the authors write.

Abstract
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