Risk awareness and knowledge of patients with stroke: results of a questionnaire survey 3 months after stroke.

Secondary prevention of stroke has been shown to dramatically reduce recurrence and has been described as suboptimal. To analyse patients' awareness and knowledge about cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRF) and their influence on CVRF control. Patients (n = 164) who were attending a stroke outpatient clinic for the first time after hospital discharge (3 months) for a first stroke were asked to answer a short questionnaire including questions on awareness and knowledge of CVRF, visits to a CVRF specialist, number of visits to a general practitioner, adherence to drug treatments, cigarette smoking and cessation. CVRF were spontaneously mentioned as relevant for their stroke by only 13% of patients. A specialist was visited by only one-third of the patients and a general practitioner was not visited at all by 27% of the patients since their stroke. Awareness was inversely correlated with older age and good recovery. More than half of the patients had high blood pressure (> or = 140 mmHg for systolic and > or = 90 mmHg for diastolic values) at the time of follow-up. These high values were correlated with poor awareness. Appropriate secondary stroke prevention measures were not received by one-fourth of the patients; this was also correlated with poor awareness. CVRF control is not optimal and is at least partially related to patients' awareness and knowledge and suboptimal medical follow-up. Older patients and patients with excellent recovery are at particular risk for poor awareness and CVRF control.