EPIDEMIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF STROKE: A NARRATIVE REVIEW.

Abstract

Introduction: Stroke is a major public health problem globally, and surviving patients have very high risks of recurrence. Age, sex, ethnicity, transient ischaemic attack(TIA), and hereditary characteristics are non-modifiable risk factors while the major modifiable risk factors for stroke are hypertension, diabetes, lack of physical exercise, alcohol and drug abuse, cholesterol, diet management and cardiac diseases.

Objective: The aim of this narrative review was to discuss the current management and prevention of stroke.

Methods: In this review, the databases of Medline (PubMed), Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were used for literature search. The MESH terms used included "Diagnosis of Stroke", "Epidemiology of Stroke", "Management of Stroke" and "Prevention of Stroke". The other terms were "Stroke Mimicks" and "Biomarkers of Stroke". Studies that evaluated the current management of stroke in adult patients were included. This article is guided by the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA).

Results: A total of 800 studies were found. After excluding duplicate papers and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 72 studies were included for review. The included studies were published between 2010 and 2025. These studies included 9 Randomised Controlled Ttrials, a cohort study and other studies.

Conclusion: Computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain is the most common form of clinical imaging procedure used in the treatment of stroke and Non-contrast CT Scans are usually the first step in imaging process. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most sensitive imaging technique, it shows ischaemic changes very early and is effective in the evaluation of cerebral changes in ischaemic stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging is more precise in excluding intracranial hemorrhage and MRI with DWI is more accurate in the revealing acute ischemic stroke. Stroke treatment mainly focuses on restoring blood flow to the brain and treating stroke-induced neurological injury.