Abstract
Background Stroke is a very troubling illness as it not only disables its victim, but also kills most of them outright. Its rate is increasing in the developing countries and this drains their finances. As a result many seek management of their condition in herbal homes. But of recent there is a preference to herbal medicine by most stroke survivors, irrespective of social status. This is a new phenomenon.
Objective The main objective of this study was to assess the characteristics of the survivors that received care at an herbal centre in Nigeria.
Method It was a cross-sectional study that involved direct interview of 149 stroke survivors that attended Bebe herbal centre in Umunomo Ihitteafoukwu in Ahiazu Mbaise local government area of Imo state, Nigeria. The two interviewers obtained Ethical clearance and informed consent and required the respondents to provide answers to questions regarding age, marital status, number of children, occupation, highest educational level, local government of domicile, and side affected. Data obtained were subjected to descriptive analysis of frequency and percentage and inferential statistics of chi square and regression analysis using the SPSS statistical package version 23.
Results Those within the age bracket of 70-74 years were the most common of the survivors. Those with left-sided stroke were more than those with right-sided stroke. Traders were the most frequent of the occupations investigated, and those with primary education only were the highest in number. Those who had between 5 and 8 children were highest in number. The male survivors were more than the female. Occupation predicted very significantly with cases of stroke amongst male and female sexes.
Conclusion The stroke survivors, who were all Nigerians, belonged to different age groups, occupation, educational level, and came from far and near; thus suggesting that something common attracted them to the Bebe centre.