The influence of patient's knowledge about stroke in Brazil: a cross sectional study.

UNLABELLED Little is known about stroke patients' awareness about the warning signs of stroke and its therapeutic time window in Brazil. METHOD We interviewed consecutive patients with acute stroke admitted to a terciary public hospital in Brazil. Data collected included demographics, mode of arrival, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores and knowledge of stroke warning signs and therapeutic time window. Early arrival was defined as within 4.5 hours of symptoms onset. RESULTS Although 66.2% of patients knew the warning signs of stroke, only 7.8% reported to know that stroke had a limited therapeutic time window. Stroke severity measured by the NIHSS was independently associated with early arrival, but not knowledge of stroke signs and symptoms. CONCLUSION Knowledge about stroke symptoms was not a predictor of early arrival.