Quality of life among stroke survivors evaluated 1 year after stroke - Experience of a stroke unit

Background and Purpose-We sought to study overall and domain-specific quali ty of life in stroke survivors 1 year after stroke and to identify variable s that could predict quality of life after stroke. Methods-We followed up for I year a cohort of 118 patients consecutively ad mitted to our stroke unit at San Carlos University Hospital in Madrid, Spai n. The final series at 1-year follow-up consisted of 90 survivors (41 women and 49 men; mean age, 68 years; range, 32 to 90 years). A cross-sectional, descriptive design was developed. Patients completed a questionnaire that included socioeconomic variables, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Sic kness Impact Profile (SIP), Short Form 36, Frenchay Index, Barthel Index, R ankin Scale, and Scandinavian Stroke Scale. Independent variables were sex, age, functional status, motor impairment, and depression. We developed an ANOVA model for statistical analysis. Results-We interviewed 79 patients with ischemic and 11 with hemorrhagic st roke. Thirty-eight percent of patients scored in the depressed range. Varia bles related to depression were status as a housewife, female sex, inabilit y to work because of disability, and diminished social activity (P<0.0001). Mean total SIP (24.3), SIP psychosocial dimension (27.5), and SIP physical dimension (21.2) were correlated with disability, female sex, motor impair ment, and depression (P<0.0001). Conclusions-Functional status and depression were identified as predictors of quality of life. Patients independent in their activities of daily livin g suffered from a deterioration of the psychosocial dimension of the SIP.