Abstract
Stroke is one of the most common medical emergencies and the leading cause of preventable death and long-term disability worldwide. A prospective cohort study was conducted at the stroke unit of Jimma university medical center for four consecutive months (from March 10 to July 10, 2017). Of the total 116 study patients, 60 (51.7%) had an ischemic stroke. At 30-day follow-up, 81 (69.8%) patients were alive, 34 (29.3%) were died, and one patient (0.9%) was lost to follow-up. Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level (AHR: 3.77, 95% CI: 1.34-10.57), diagnosis of stroke clinically alone (AHR: 3.90, 95 CI: 1.49-10.26), brain edema (AHR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.61-11.37), and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) ≥ 13 during hospital arrival (AHR: 6.49, 95% CI: 1.90-22.22) were the independent predictors of 30-day mortality. At 60-day follow-up, 68 (58.6%) patients were alive, 46 (39.7%) were died, and 2 (1.7%) were lost to follow-up. Discharge against medical advice (AHR: 6.40, 95% CI: 2.31-17.73) and severe modified Rankin score/mRS (4-5) at discharge (AHR: 3.64, 95% CI: 1.01-13.16) were the independent predictors of 60-day mortality. The median (IQR) length of survival after hospital admission for patients died within 30 and 60 days were 4.65 (2.34-11.80) and 9.3 (3.93-33) days, respectively. Stroke significantly affects the morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. There is a need to provide better care and future planning for stroke patients as an emergency diagnosis and treatment to minimize mortality and disability.