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  • Title: Quality of life after stroke: the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS).
    Author: Sturm JW, Donnan GA, Dewey HM, Macdonell RA, Gilligan AK, Srikanth V, Thrift AG.
    Journal: Stroke; 2004 Oct; 35(10):2340-5. PubMed ID: 15331799.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data are scarce from unselected populations. The aims were to assess HRQoL at 2 years poststroke, to identify determinants of HRQoL in stroke survivors, and to identify predictors at stroke onset of subsequent HRQoL. METHODS: All first-ever cases of stroke in a population of 306 631 over a 1-year period were assessed. Stroke severity, comorbidity, and demographic information were recorded. Two-year poststroke HRQoL was assessed using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument (deceased patients score=0). Handicap, disability, physical impairment, depression, anxiety, living arrangements, and recurrent stroke at 2 years were documented. If necessary, proxy assessments were obtained, except for mood. Linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors independently associated with HRQoL. RESULTS: Of 266 incident cases alive at 2 years, 225 (85%) were assessed. The mean AQoL utility score for all survivors was 0.47 (95% CI, 0.42 to 0.52). Almost 25% of survivors had a score of < or =0.1. The independent determinants of HRQoL in survivors were handicap, physical impairment, anxiety and depression, disability, institutionalization, dementia, and age. The factors present at stroke onset that independently predicted HRQoL at 2 years poststroke were age, female sex, initial NIHSS score, neglect, and low socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of stroke survivors have very poor HRQoL. Interventions targeting handicap and mood have the potential to improve HRQoL independently of physical impairment and disability.
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