Background/Objective:

Stroke knowledge is variable within and between countries. It is determined by school grade, geographical location, and language barriers. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of stroke symptoms, risk factors, and treatment in a specific population in Mexico.

Methods:

We surveyed volunteer participants among the inhabitants of a medium-income condominium complex and employees of a pharmaceutical company located in Mexico City between 2016 and 2018. We collected information regarding knowledge of stroke definitions, symptoms, risk factor identification, and treatment.

Results:

We surveyed 499 participants at both sites, with a median age of 44 years (interquartile range 31-70) and mean years of education of 16.09 years (SD 3.67). The recognition of different definitions regarding stroke was highly heterogeneous, with "brain hemorrhage" and "stroke" being the most known. Among participants, 70% knew at least one stroke symptom. Out of four risk factors, a mean of 3 are identified when prompted, with dyslipidemia being the least acknowledged. While 70% of participants recognize stroke as treatable, only 12-25% know about intravenous thrombolysis. There was no significant difference in overall stroke knowledge between surveyed sites.

Conclusions:

Knowledge about stroke remains highly heterogeneous in our population. While the knowledge of the general presentation of stroke is higher than in other studies, probably due to the higher mean school education, the awareness of treatment options is low. New public education programs should consider including this information, because it may improve the proportion of cases treated promptly.

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