英文摘要 |
Background: Stroke has been ranked as the second or third leading cause of death in Taiwan since 1986 and it has resulted in increased disability and mortality in the adult and older adult populations. Expenditures on medical care and activities of daily living for patients with strokes have increased dramatically. Previous studies have focused on the effects of stroke treatment during the acute phase while relatively few studies have examined the effects of stroke treatment during the chronic phase on recovery. Objectives: This study investigated the effects of the primary care treatment of patients in the chronic phase of strokes. The effects of preventive treatment on the prevention of strokes among patients with syndrome of high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and high blood sugar (i.e. ”three heights”) were also examined. Methods: A retrospective design was used and data were collected from a total of 2,664 medical records of both stroke patients (treatment group) and patients with a high risk of developing a stroke (prevention group) treated in one primary care clinic in Taiwan. Results: After controlling for confounders, we found that, with increased treatment time, muscle power could be improved significantly (p<0.05). The incidence of stroke in the prevention group was 0.8‰ which was much lower than that in the non-treated high risk groups who were more likely to develop cerebrovascular disease. Conclusions: Results of the present study provided evidence-based support for the effects of prolonged treatment of chronic stroke in the improvement of muscle power and the treatment of high risk groups in lowering the incidence of strokes. |