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Background: Currently, little is known on the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness (CF), physical activity (PA), and functional outcomes after stroke, especially in low- and middle-income countries., Objectives: We examine the relationships between CF, PA, and functional outcomes in one-year poststroke in Benin, a lower middle-income country., Methods: A case-control study was carried out in northern Benin. Twenty-one participants with chronic strokes were matched to 42 controls according to sex and age. PA patterns and associated energy expenditure (EE) were assessed with a BodyMedia's senseWear armband. CF was evaluated with the Physical Working Capacity at 75% of the predicted maximal heart rate index. The functional outcomes were evaluated using the modified Rankin scale (mRS) and the ACTIVLIM-Stroke scale., Results: Both people with stroke and the healthy pairs spent much time in sedentary behavior (median [P25; P75]: 672 [460; 793] min vs 515 [287; 666] min, p  = 0.006). Although people with chronic stroke performed fewer steps compared to healthy controls (median: 2767 vs 5524, p  = 0.005), results showed that total EE was not statistically significant in either group (median: 7166 Kcal vs 8245 Kcal, p  = 0.07). In addition, the mRS score ( r  = 0.47, p  = 0.033) and the ACTIVLIM-Stroke measure ( r  = 0.52, p  = 0.016) were moderately associated with the CF index of people with chronic stroke., Conclusion: The study showed clear trends for lower levels of PA in both people with chronic stroke and health controls. A correlation exists between CF, disability, and functional outcomes among stroke patients.

Introduction: coronary artery disease seem common in stroke patients. We aimed to determine the prevalence of coronary artery disease in stroke survivors followed at the Borgou-Alibori Departmental University Hospital (CHUD/B-A). Methods: this was a cross-sectional study, conducted from March 1 to August 31, 2019. It included all stroke patients, aged ≥ 18 years, received in the neurology unit of CHUD-B/A between January 2012 and July 2019, having survived the acute phase, and from whom written informed consent or that of a guardian (severely disabled patients) has been obtained. An individual interview, anthropometric measurements, a physical examination, an electrocardiogram record and a review of the medical record were performed. The coronary artery disease was defined by a documented history, suggestive ST/T and/or Q abnormalities (Minnesota criteria) or a positive angina screening questionnaire. The factors associated with coronary artery disease were investigated by logistic regression. Results: a total of 101 patients were included with an average age of 57.2 ± 10.5 years. The median time since stroke onset was 11 months (interquartile range: [2.0- 23.5]). Ischemic stroke predominated (57.4%). The prevalence of coronary artery disease was estimated at 49.5%. The factors associated were lack of school education (p=0.036), obesity (0.036) and former tobacco use (p=0.044). Conclusion: this study shows a high frequency of coronary artery disease in stroke patients. It is important to detect coronary artery disease in this target population in order to improve the management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]