Frequency of Pneumonia Among Patients with Stroke Attending Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital Swat

Syed Haidar Shah; Momen Khan

doi:10.54112/bcsrj.v6i4.2299

Authors

Syed Haidar Shah Department of General Medicine, Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat, Pakistan
Momen Khan Department of General Medicine, Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54112/bcsrj.v6i4.2299

Keywords:

Aspiration Pneumonia, Stroke, Cerebrovascular Accident, Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Aspiration pneumonia is a common and potentially life-threatening complication of stroke, contributing significantly to morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, and mortality. Early identification of patients at risk is essential for timely intervention and improved clinical outcomes. Objective: To determine the frequency of aspiration pneumonia among patients with stroke attending Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 111 patients aged 35–75 years of either gender diagnosed with stroke from 02-July-2024 to 02-January-2025 in the department of General medicine, Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital, Swat. The diagnosis of stroke was confirmed by computed tomography (CT) of the brain demonstrating findings such as hypodensity, loss of gray-white matter differentiation, hematoma, or sulcal effacement. Patients with a history of chronic lung disease, congestive cardiac failure, diabetic ketoacidosis, hypoglycemia, hyperosmolar coma, septicemia, or encephalopathy were excluded. All patients were evaluated for aspiration pneumonia, which was diagnosed based on chest radiographic findings. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Frequencies and percentages were calculated, and associations between variables were assessed using appropriate statistical tests, with a p-value <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 53.97 ± 11.52 years, and the mean body mass index was 24.91 ± 2.18 kg/m². There were 64 (57.7%) male and 47 (42.3%) female patients. A history of smoking was present in 27 (24.3%) patients. Aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed in 22 patients, yielding a frequency of 19.8%. Age greater than 50 years was significantly associated with the development of aspiration pneumonia (p = 0.017). Conclusion: Aspiration pneumonia occurred in approximately one-fifth of stroke patients in this study. Patients older than 50 years were at significantly higher risk of developing aspiration pneumonia. Early screening and preventive measures should be prioritized in older stroke patients to reduce the burden of this serious complication.

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