Stroke survivors reported doing significantly worse in eight areas of health and daily functioning compared to the general population, according to a study published online in the March 28, 2018 issue of Neurology.
Stroke research predominantly focuses on mortality and physical disability. Researchers tend to pay less attention to how stroke affects other aspects of life such as social roles, fatigue, depression, anxiety, pain, ability to think, and sleep. These hidden problems, even in survivors who can operate independently, significantly affect quality of life.
To evaluate the broader impact of stroke, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic collected questionnaire data from 1,195 stroke survivors and compared their scores with those of the general population. The surveys asked patients about physical function; satisfaction with their ability to engage in social activities; cognitive ability, such as managing time and paying attention; fatigue; sleep; anxiety; and depression.
Stroke survivors were most affected in the areas of physical function, satisfaction with their social roles, and cognitive function. About 63 percent had meaningfully worse scores for physical function than the general population, while 58 percent had meaningfully worse scores on their satisfaction with their social abilities.
In all other areas of health except sleep and depression, stroke survivors scored worse than the general population. Still, 28 percent of stroke victims scored meaningfully worse than the general population when it came to sleep, and about 24 percent had symptoms of moderate depression.
Overall, scores were worse for patients who had more symptoms after their stroke, such as paralysis, numbness, and trouble speaking normally. Furthermore, lower income and being female were linked to worse scores in several domains.
While it is no surprise that stroke survivors report physical problems, the results of this study emphasize the importance of acknowledging their limitations in other areas, especially the social and cognitive domains, as these can contribute to overall well-being. The authors suggest that future research should investigate other domains affected by stroke, like communication, and determine strategies to help patients optimize their functioning in these areas.