Sex Differences in Prehospital Delay in Patients With Acute Stroke

Background In 2009, the window from symptom onset to administration of tissue plasminogen activator for acute ischemic stroke was extended from 3 to 4.5 hours. Yet no systematic review has addressed prehospital delay by sex for stroke symptoms since this change. Purpose We aimed to (1) compare prehospital delay times—the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival—between women and men with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack and (2) summarize factors influencing prehospital delay by sex. Methods The CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases were searched using PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) quantitative research articles published between May 2008 and April 2019, (2) investigation of prehospital delay among women and men 15 years or older who were given a diagnosis of acute stroke or transient ischemic attack, and (3) English-language publications. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool was used to evaluate the quality of studies. Results Fifteen publications (n = 162 856) met inclusion criteria. Most studies (n = 11) showed no sex differences in prehospital delay. Four studies from Asian-Pacific countries and the United States showed that women had significantly longer prehospital delay compared with men. Older age, minority race/ethnicity (black and Mexican American), and underuse of emergency medical services were associated with prolonged prehospital delay in women. Conclusions Most study authors found no differences in prehospital delay between women and men; however, women delayed longer in some Asian-Pacific and American studies. Findings of sex differences were inconclusive.