Abstract
Background: There has been an increase in elderly people and a trend toward the nuclear family in Japan. The number of elderly people living-alone has been rapidly increasing recently.Methods: The clinical characteristics of patients living-alone, who had suffered acute stroke, were examined.Results: Among four hundred and thirty patients who had suffered acute stroke treated at our hospital in the past one year, the number of the patients living-alone came to forty-six (10.7%). Male patients dominated occupying 60.8% (28/46), while the prevalence of cerebral hemorrhage patients occupied 34.8% (16/46). Furthermore, the number of patients who could call for help amounted to only 23.9% (11/46). The patients who passed more than forty-eight hours from the onset of stroke to hospitalization came to 26.1% (12/46), and two thirds of them had severe dehydration and/or pressure skin ulceration. Comparing patients living-alone to other patients, there were no significant differences in the duration of hospitalization, fewer patients left the hospital to return home than transfer to rehabilitation hospitals.Conclusion: Corresponding to an aging society and the increase in elderly people living-alone, the construction of medical-examination organizations for acute stroke patients are a pressing concern for the future.
