Socio-demographic and clinical factors in stroke patients: a survival analysis approach

Abstract

Stroke is a serious medical condition that occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is either disrupted or cut off. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is classified into two main types: hemorrhagic (caused by bleeding) and ischemic (caused by blood vessel blockage). This study aims to identify the factors significantly influencing the rate of clinical improvement in stroke patients at RSKD DADI Hospital, Makassar, South Sulawesi Province. The analysis was conducted using the Extended Cox Regression model, with the dependent variable being the length of hospitalization until the patient was declared improved or discharged. The independent variables included gender, age, hypertension, cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus, type of stroke, and uric acid levels. The results indicated that the type of stroke did not meet the proportional hazards assumption, suggesting that the effect of stroke type varies over time. Of the factors examined, patient age, cholesterol level, and type of stroke were found to significantly impact the rate of clinical improvement in stroke patients at RSKD DADI Hospital, South Sulawesi Province.