Abstract
BACKGROUND: Stroke remains a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke. Readmissions after hospitalization increase the patient burden and waste health resources. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to calculate rehospitalization rates and explore risk factors associated with rehospitalization in ischemic stroke. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified 12,782 patients admitted for ischemic stroke at People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region between January 2017 and December 2021. Groups were determined based on the ID number. The most important factors were selected using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression model. Stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting (SIPTW) was used to correct baseline imbalances between groups. The adjusted hazard ratios and Kaplan-Meier survival curves of significant factors after SIPTW were calculated using stepwise backward Cox regression. RESULTS: A total of 10,727 patients were included in the study. Among them, 12.7% and 7.2% were readmitted within 5 years and 1 year, respectively. Stepwise backward Cox analysis of SIPTW showed that diabetes was the influencing factor for rehospitalization within 5 years (1.15, 1.02-1.30) and 1 year (1.21, 1.03-1.43). Additionally, the female gender was identified as a protective factor against readmission within 5 years (0.83, 0.74-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Although the rate of rehospitalization varied among patients with ischemic stroke at different time points, the significant factors remained consistent. Therefore, early prevention and treatment methods may be consistent.