Author/Authors :
Mujlli, Hadi M. Central South University - Xiang Ya Medical College - Department of Neurology, China , Bo, Xiao Central South University - Xiang Ya Medical College - Department of Neurology, China , Zhang, L Central South University - Xiang Ya Medical College - Department of Neurology, China
Abstract :
Objectives: The aim of this study was to show theeffects of Khat on acute cerebral infarction (ACI),specifically regarding blood pressure, age and gender,and to open the door for further neurological research.Methods: We collected 358 patients with ACI, and 335volunteers from Al-Thowra Modern General Hospital inSana’a, Yemen, and Thamar General Hospital, ThamarCity, approximately 100 km south of Sana’a. During aone year period, from February 2003 to March 2004, weconducted research regarding blood pressure, age, andgender related to the chewing or not chewing of Khat.We conducted a comparison between the ACI group andthe volunteer group, using the SPSS 10.0 Chi-squarestatistical methods.Results: Results show that Khat increases bloodpressure in patients with ACI. The gender-related effectsshow that Khat affects a greater percentage of males(74.6%) compared to females (25.4%), Khat chewers inthe patient group showed a statistical significance ofp 0.001. The 358 ACI patients had a mean age of 51.5years old, while in the 335 normal individuals the meanage was 42.5 years old, showing a statistical significanceof p 0.001.Conclusion: Khat is a risk to blood pressure in ACIpatients, with a statistical significance of p 0.001. Khateffects males more than females, and Khat chewers aremore affected than non-chewers with a statisticalsignificance of p 0.01. Khat also shows a significantrelationship with age, affecting older persons (p 0.001).
