Depression after minor stroke: the association with disability and quality of life – a 1-year follow-up study

Damn it all, they tell us it is a problem but give NO solution. What the hell good is spending this money on research with no suggested solution?
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gps.4353/abstract;jsessionid=D138F0CA16191A8D70229C57D294BEEA.f03t04

1. Yu Zhi Shi^1,2,
2. Yu Tao Xiang³,
3. Yang Yang^1,2,
4. Ning Zhang^1,2,
5. Shuo Wang^1,2,
6. Gabor S. Ungvari^4,5,
7. Helen F.K. Chiu⁶,
8. Wai Kwong Tang⁶,
9. Yi Long Wang^1,2,
10. Xing Quan Zhao^1,2,
11. Yong Jun Wang^1,2 and
12. Chun Xue Wang^1,2,7,*

Article first published online: 7 SEP 2015

DOI: 10.1002/gps.4353

Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

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Keywords:

• post-stroke depression;
• minor stroke;
• ischemic stroke;
• quality of life;
• disability

Objective

Minor stroke is characterized by mild neurological functional impairment and relatively good outcome. Little is known about the association between post-stroke depression (PSD) and outcomes of minor stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PSD and disability and quality of life (QoL) at 1 year after minor ischemic stroke.

Methods

Patients with first-ever minor ischemic stroke (n  = 747) were followed up at 14 ± 2 days, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after stroke. Depressive symptoms were assessed at each follow-up. Patients diagnosed with depression at 14 ± 2 days formed the early-onset PSD group; those who were diagnosed with depression at any subsequent follow-ups for the first time constituted the late-onset PSD group. The outcomes of minor stroke including disability (modified Rankin score ≥2) and QoL (Short Form-36 Health Survey) were assessed at the 1-year follow-up.

Results

A total of 198 (26.5%) patients were diagnosed with PSD over the 1-year follow-up; 136 and 62 patients were allocated to the early-onset PSD group and late-onset PSD group, respectively. Both early-onset and late-onset PSD were independently associated with disability and poor physical and mental health at 1 year after stroke. Recovery from depression (n = 112) within 1 year decreased the adverse impacts of PSD on functional outcome and QoL.

Conclusions

Post-stroke depression was independently associated with disability and poor QoL at 1 year after first-ever minor ischemic stroke. Recovery from PSD decreased but did not eliminate the adverse impacts of PSD on outcomes of minor stroke.