Dietary pattern in Adult Patients with Acute Stroke in South India: A Case-Control Study from a Tertiary Care Center in Hyderabad

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diet plays a crucial role in the occurrence of stroke. But very few studies have so far been conducted with focus on this aspect of acute stroke in India. The objective of the study was to identify the dietary pattern in patients with acute stroke in South India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with first-ever acute stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) admitted between June 2017 and November 2017 were enrolled and compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Information was collected using a pro forma. RESULTS: Out of 293 acute stroke patients, 150 were enrolled and compared with 150 controls. The mean age was 52.3 ± 12.6; years 112 (74.6%) patients were male. The majority of them were on traditional diet that included a daily intake of rice (98.6%) and pulses (40.6%). Hypertension (73.3%) was the major vascular risk factor for stroke (P < 0.0001). Significant differences were observed in risk factors such as diabetes (P < 0.0001), smoking (P = 0.0001), alcohol use (P = 0.0017), and heart disease (P = 0.0002), when stroke patients were compared with controls. Stroke patients reported a lower intake of green leafy vegetables (P = 0.0001; odds ratio [OR] 0.17), roots and tubers (P = 0.0016; OR 0.21), and fruits (P = 0.0022; OR 0.29). There was at the same time a higher intake of red meat products (P = 0.04; OR 2.41), organ meats (P = 0.0093; OR 4.35), fried snacks (P = 0.0038; OR 2.01), and pickles (P = 0.04; OR 1.81) although the data suggested lesser consumption of prawn and crab (P = 0.04; OR 0.55) and water (P = 0.0001 OR 4.59) among stroke patients. Higher consumption of fruit juices (P = 0.0008) and junk foods (P = 0.03) was observed in young stroke patients (age ≤45 years) whereas the intake of chicken (P = 0.03) and alcohol (P = 0.0001) was observed to be more among men than among women. CONCLUSION: Majority of stroke-afflicted patients in South India consume white rice and dal. There is lower intake of water, green leafy vegetables, and fruits and higher consumption of red meat, organ meat, and pickles among stroke patients.