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Aim: Stroke is common in older people. The objective of the study was to determine if older stroke patients have a higher mortality and disability compared with younger patients for comparable stroke severity and pathology and whether there is an explanation for the difference. Methods: A prospective study was undertaken in 296 consecutive patients admitted with acute stroke. Patients were studied for neurological features, pre-stroke functional disability, severity of stroke defined by stroke syndromes and pathology of stroke on CT scans (202 patients). Post-stroke disability was defined according to the functional status within 72 h of admission. A record was made of the intercurrent illness while the patients were in acute wards and of the risk factors. Patients were dichotomised into two age groups: younger group – up to 75 years (163 patients) and older group – over 75 years (133 patients). Outcome …