Discharge medications among ischemic stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to analyze the types and cost of medications prescribed at discharge for ischemic stroke survivors. METHODS This is a descriptive study of medications prescribed for ischemic stroke survivors admitted to Al-watani hospital during a 6-month period. RESULTS A total of 95 consecutive stroke patients were included in the study period; 78 (82.1%) survivors were having ischemic stroke subtype and were designated the study group. The average age of the survivors was 66.9 +/- 12.7 years. Survivors had prevalent risk factors such as diabetes mellitus (70%), hypertension (68%), and ischemic heart disease (34.6%). On average, survivors experienced a minimum of 0.73 complications (range 0-3) with the most common being infections (n = 35, 44.8%). Forty-two per cent of the ischemic stroke survivors were taking antiplatelet drugs prior to the current attack. At discharge, ischemic stroke survivors were prescribed an average of 4.9 medications from 4.3 different drug classes. All ischemic stroke survivors were prescribed antiplatelet therapy at discharge. Aspirin monotherapy was prescribed for 61 survivors while the combination of aspirin/clopidogrel antiplatelet therapy was prescribed for 17 survivors. The average monthly cost for prophylactic therapy and for medications used to treat post-stroke complication was approximately 52 USD per survivor. CONCLUSION Most of the patients in the study group were having the traditional risk factors for ischemic stroke and were suffering form typical post-stroke complications. Lack of medical insurance will impose a heavy financial burden on stroke survivors in Palestine.