CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNCTIONAL AND ORGANIC STROKE MIMICS

Aim To establish whether the groups of patients with conditions that mimic Stroke display certain characteristics which differentiate them from patients with true Stroke. Methods All admissions to King9s College Hospital9s Hyper–Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) over 12 months were reviewed using SINAP data. Subgroups of functional stroke mimics (FSM) and medical mimics (MM) were identified through consensus between experts. Statistical analysis comparing these subgroups to Stroke admissions was performed using Chi2, Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney methods. Results FSM patients (N=98) were younger (mean age 49, p Conclusion Both functional and medical stroke mimics appear to have distinct features that could aid the diagnostic process.