NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS IN STROKE PATIENTS AND LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the presence and sever ity of psychiatric symptoms in stroke patients correlate with their le ngth of stay (LOS) in a rehabilitation unit. with special emphasis on the role of negative symptoms (NS). Twenty-three stroke patients, cons ecutively recruited from the inpatient rehabilitation unit, were evalu ated on admission with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the P ositive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), the Hamilton Depression Ra ting Scale (HDRS), the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS ), and the Functional Independent Measure (FIM). NS scores significant ly correlated with LOS, with SANS total score being the most informati ve: and the attentional impairment subscale the least. The group of pa tients with pronounced NS stayed in the hospital twice as long as pati ents with the score on the NS subscale of PANSS below 16. These two gr oups did not differ in their cognitive performance or in the positive symptom subscale of PANSS scores. Total FIM score on admission was low er and HDRS scores higher in patients with pronounced NS. However, the se differences, unlike those of LOS, have not reached statistical sign ificance. The presence and severity of NS in stroke patients are assoc iated with a longer hospital stay. identification and treatment of NS might lead to a faster discharge from rehabilitation unit.