Objective: To identify factors predicting stroke disability at discharge in
a Chinese population.
Design: Retrospective analysis of data collected from stroke patients.
Setting: A 25-bed stroke rehabilitation unit in Hong Kong.
Participants: A total of 793 Chinese patients with acute stroke consecutive
ly admitted for inpatient rehabilitation.
Interventions: All patients received traditional rehabilitation therapies i
ncluding physical, occupational, and speech therapies when appropriate.
Main Outcome Measures: Disability was measured with the Barthel index (BI),
and mild disability at discharge was defined as a BI score of greater than
or equal to 15. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were
computed.
Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed that a BI score of greater t
han or equal to 15 points at admission strongly predicted that the patient'
s BI at discharge would be greater than or equal to 15. For those whose BI
score at admission was less than 15, these factors correlated negatively wi
th a discharge BI of greater than or equal to 15: BI at admission of <5 (OR
.08, CI .04-.17); National Institutes of Health stroke scale at admission
of >7 (OR .23, CI .12-.43); urinary incontinence at admission (OR .35, CI .
21-.60); age greater than or equal to 65 years (OR .44, CI .25-.77); and ab
breviated mental test at admission of <7 (OR .56, CI .33-.94).
Conclusions: For Chinese stroke patients, the disability at admission is th
e most important predictor for disability at discharge. Patients with very
severe disability, severe neurologic impairment, urinary incontinence, old
age, and impaired cognition at admission are less likely to recover to mild
disability at discharge. Although hemorrhagic stroke is more common among
Chinese populations, it is not an independent predictor for disability at d
ischarge.