FREQUENCY RATE OF OBESITY an‎d LOW MOBILITY IN NORTH AMERICAN an‎d IRANIAN STROKE PATIENTS

INTRODUCTION: Obesity and low mobility are among the risk factors of stroke and cardiovascular diseases. A pilot double-center study evaluated frequency rate of obesity and low mobility in patients with ischemic stroke. METHODS: This prospective clinical study was conducted on 100 consecutive stroke patients in Mackenzie hospital, Canada and 100 consecutive stroke patients in Ghaem hospital, Iran in 2007. The patients were age- and sex- matched. Diagnosis of ischemic stroke was made by stroke neurologists. Obesity and low mobility was detected based on the standard method in the two studied groups. Chi-Square and Fisher tests served for statistical analysis and P < 0.05 was declared as significant. RESULTS: 92 males and 108 females with ischemic stroke were investigated. Obesity was present in 26% of the Canadians and 21% of Iranian stroke patients, df = 1, P = 0.403. Low mobility was reported in 29% of Canadian and 5% of Iranian stroke patients, df = 1, P < 0.0001. The frequency rate of obesity was not significantly different in the two groups and in each gender separately (P > 0.05), while the difference was significant for low mobility, P < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS: There is no significant difference in frequency rate of obesity between Canadian and Iranian stroke patients. However, low mobility is significantly more frequent in the old Canadian individuals with stroke.