CIRCADIAN VARIATION IN THE INCIDENCE OF STROKE-INDUCED APHASIA TYPES IN AHVAZ, SOUTH-WEST OF IRAN

Background: The incidence of the stroke and its associated disorders has a multifactorial nature. Nowadays, researchers are looking for the relationship between circadian variations and the stroke incidence. Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the incidence of the different types of stroke-induced aphasia in Ahvaz, Iran, on seasonal, diurnal (weekly), and circadian variations. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective hospital-based study, the medical records of 1817 patients with stroke were reread in Ahvaz hospitals in 2011. Types of aphasia were diagnosed based on speech and language symptoms in their records. The data were transferred into the SPSS version 16, for statistical comparison. Results: According to the obtained results 39.9% of the studied patients had a stroke-induced aphasia. The highest incidence rates of aphasia due to the stroke in Ahvaz were, in the summer (38.2%), on Saturdays (16.1%), and 21.1% between 8:00 AM to noon. Chi-square test indicated a significant difference between the mentioned times and other time (P < 0.05). Conclusions: It seems that the incidence of different types of stroke-induced aphasia in Ahvaz is influenced by the calendar-temporal changes. According to the findings, to prevent the occurrence of stroke-induced aphasia, necessary counseling should be provided for lifestyle changes.