Functional Disability and Cognitive Impairment After Hospitalization for Myocardial Infarction and Stroke

I hate these research articles that say stroke is bad but give absolutely nothing in return as how to treat or prevent these problems. They shouldn't be allowed anywhere near research dollars in my opinion.
http://circoutcomes.ahajournals.org/content/early/2014/11/11/HCQ.0000000000000008.abstract

1. Deborah A. Levine, MD, MPH,
2. Dimitry S. Davydow, MD, MPH,
3. Catherine L. Hough, MD, MSc,
4. Kenneth M. Langa, MD, PhD,
5. Mary A.M. Rogers, PhD and
6. Theodore J. Iwashyna, MD, PhD

+ Author Affiliations

1. From the Department of Internal Medicine (D.A.L., K.M.L., M.A.M.R., T.J.I.) and the Department of Neurology and the Stroke Program (D.A.L.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor, MI (D.A.L., K.M.L., T.J.I.); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (D.S.D.) and Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle (C.L.H.); and Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (K.M.L., T.J.I.).

1. Correspondence to Deborah A. Levine, MD, MPH, Division of General Medicine, University of Michigan, North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Bldg 16, Room 430W, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. E-mail deblevin@umich.edu

Abstract

Background—We assessed the acute and long-term effect of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke on postevent functional disability and cognition while controlling for survivors’ changes in functioning over the years before the event.

Methods and Results—Among participants in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study with linked Medicare data (1998–2010), we determined within-person changes in functional limitations (basic and instrumental activities of daily living) and cognitive impairment after hospitalization for stroke (n=432) and MI (n=450), controlling for premorbid functioning using fixed-effects regression. In persons without baseline impairments, an acute MI yielded a mean acute increase of 0.41 functional limitations (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18–0.63) with a linear increase of 0.14 limitations/year in the following decade. These increases were 0.65 limitations (95% CI, 0.07–1.23) and 0.27 limitations/year afterward for those with mild-to-moderate impairment at baseline. Stroke resulted in an acute increase of 2.07 (95% CI, 1.51–2.63) limitations because of the acute event and an increase of 0.15 limitations/year afterward for those unimpaired at baseline. There were 2.65 new limitations (95% CI, 1.86–3.44) and 0.19/year afterward for those with baseline mild-to-moderate impairment. Stroke hospitalization was associated with greater odds of moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment (odds ratio, 3.86; 95% CI, 2.10–7.11) at the time of the event, after adjustment for premorbid cognition but MI hospitalization was not.

Conclusions—In this population-based cohort, most MI and stroke hospitalizations were associated with significant increases in functional disability at the time of the event and in the decade afterward. Survivors of MI and stroke warrant screening for functional disability over the long-term.