Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Nutritional factors play an important role in reducing the morbidity and mortality of ischemic stroke, as well as in the effectiveness of post-stroke secondary rehabilitation. We were interested in these nutritional factors and conducted this study to assess the nutritional status of post-stroke patients.

Methods: Our study is a prospective study including post-stroke patients, spread over a period of three months within the neurology services of the Cheikh Khalifa Hospital in Casablanca. We collected epidemiological, clinical, anthropometric and biological data, as well as data from a 24-hour dietary survey.

Results: We included 10 patients, mostly male, with a sex ratio of 7/3. Fifty percent of patients had swallowing and motor disorders, and 70% had impaired memory. In terms of nutrition, 60% of patients had dietary intakes below their nutritional requirements, 30% had criteria for undernutrition, 40% had sarcopenia according to clinical criteria, and 60% were vitamin D deficient. Only 10% of patients saw a dietician after their stroke episode.

Conclusion: Nutritional management is an important, but often neglected, pillar in the management of an ischemic stroke. It plays an important role in primary and secondary prevention, but also and above all in reducing the risk of undernutrition and its impact on post-stroke morbidity and mortality. This undernutrition is due to neurological and swallowing disorders, but also to psychological factors linked to the ischemic stroke.