Objectives: In the Philippines, an estimated half million are affected annually by stroke. It is the third most common cause of mortality among Filipinos. Locally, there are limited data on the epidemiology of stroke in the country. This study aimed to study cerebrovascular disease in the rural setting in the country, primarily exploring the demographic characteristics, risk factors, clinical profile, and outcomes of patients assessed with cerebrovascular disease in the province of Sorsogon. Methods: This was a retrospective study of all adult patients admitted to two tertiary hospitals in Sorsogon between February 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021, with a stroke diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Revision 10). A manual review of the charts and demographics, risk factors, clinical presentation, neuroimaging findings, and outcome were recorded. Results: A total of 721 cases with a mean age of 63.06 ± 13.96 years were involved in the analysis. Of all the stroke cases, 64.7% were ischemic, and 29.7% were hemorrhagic strokes. The most common risk factors for stroke occurrence were hypertension (65%), history of stroke (16.2%), and diabetes (11.4%). Most sought consultation was due to one-sided weakness (41.3%) and slurring speech (14.2%). Conclusion In a third-class province in the Philippines, the most common type of stroke was an ischemic stroke. Analysis showed that diabetes was more associated with ischemia while hypertension was significantly associated with hemorrhagic stroke. A mortality rate of 26.8% was seen in this cerebrovascular disease population.
stroke ; risk factors ; Philippines ; rural ; epidemiology