Incidence of stroke is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa and stroke prevention is an essential component of successful stroke management. General practitioners (GPs) are well placed to manage stroke risk factors. To design appropriate strategies for risk factor reduction we need to know the risk factor prevalence in each of the population groups attending GPs. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of stroke risk factors in the South African general practice population.
Division of Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. connormd@medicine.wits.ac.az