Exploration of some personal factors with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for Stroke

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the influence of personal factors (i.e. age, gender, place of residence and time since onset of stroke) on self-perceived functioning and environmental factors, using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Set for Stroke (extended version) as a framework. Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: A total of 243 community-dwelling persons (53% men) with prior stroke (6 months to 13 years) with a mean age of 68 years (age range 24-95 years). Methods: Regression analysis of 4 personal factors (age, gender, place of residence, and time since onset of stroke) was used to explore their influence on different components, domains and categories of functioning and environmental factors, evaluated with the extended version of the Comprehensive ICF Core Set for Stroke. Results: The personal factors had statistically significant predictive values for almost all the categories, domains and components of functioning and environmental factors examined in this study. These factors influence self-perceived functional outcome and environmental factors in terms of being barriers or facilitators in various ways. Conclusion: Personal factors, such as age, gender, place of residence and time since onset of stroke, influence self-perceived functioning and environmental factors.publishersversionPeer reviewe

A cohort study on anxiety and perceived recovery 3 and 12 months after mild to moderate stroke

BackgroundAnxiety is a common complication of stroke, affecting one in every three stroke survivors. Stroke recovery is a dynamic process, with most recovery occurring within the first 3 months. However, how anxiety affects this dynamic remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how anxiety affects perceived recovery at 3 and 12 months after stroke. Additionally we also examined the change in perceived stroke recovery from 3 to 12 months and its relationship with anxiety.MethodsIn this longitudinal study patients with stroke were enrolled at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to assess anxiety, and the Stroke Impact Scale was used to assess perceived recovery 3 and 12 months after the stroke. The difference in perceived stroke recovery between the anxiety and no-anxiety groups at 3 and 12 months was analyzed. Changes in perceived stroke recovery were calculated and trichotomized from 3 to 12 months based on clinically significant positive changes (+10 points or more), clinically important negative changes (−10 points or less), or no changes (±9). At 3 and 12 months after the stroke, negative and positive recovery was compared to no change in recovery regarding anxiety scores.ResultsThis study included 99 patients (44.4% female, median age, 77 years). At 3 and 12 months after the stroke, the median recovery score was 80 out of 100. At 3- and 12-months 17.6 and 15.7% of the patients experienced anxiety, respectively. At both time points, there was a significant association between anxiety and lower perceived stroke recovery (at 3 months: p < 0.001; and 12 months p = 0.002). Among participants with anxiety at 3 or 12 months after stroke, a positive change in recovery from 3 to 12 months was identified (3 months, p = 0.004 and 12 months, p = 0.0014).ConclusionAnxiety symptoms following a stroke are associated with lower levels of perceived stroke recovery for at least 1 year after the stroke. Identifying patients with anxiety early after stroke may be beneficial for identifying those at risk of lower recovery.Clinical trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier [NCT01622205]. Registered on June 19, 2012 (retrospectively registered)

Feasibility of Cognitive Functions Screened With the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Determining ADL Dependence Early After Stroke

Objective: To investigate the feasibility of assessing cognitive function using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) given 36–48 h post stroke to explain dependence in activities of daily living (ADL).Methods: This is a cross-sectional, exploratory study. Cognitive function and basic ADL were assessed with the MoCA and the Barthel Index (BI), respectively, within 36–48 h of admission. Neurological functions were assessed with the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) upon admittance to the hospital. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the feasibility of the MoCA in explaining ADL dependence.Results: Data were available for 550 patients (42% females, mean age 69 years). Moderate correlations (rs > +0.30, p < 0.001) were found between the total score on the BI, MoCA, and visuospatial/executive functions. The regression analysis model including only MoCA as an independent variable had a high sensitivity for explaining ADL dependence. However, the model with independent variables of MoCA, NIHSS, and age had the best area under the curve value (0.74).Conclusions: Cognitive functions assessed with the MoCA partly explain ADL dependence 36–48 h post stroke. Stroke-related neurological deficits and age should be additional considerations

Responsiveness of a modified version of the postural assessment scale for stroke patients and longitudinal change in postural control after stroke- Postural Stroke Study in Gothenburg (POSTGOT) -

Abstract Background Responsiveness data certify that a change in a measurement output represents a real change, not a measurement error or biological variability. The objective was to evaluate the responsiveness of the modified version of the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (SwePASS) in patients with a first event of stroke. An additional aim was to estimate the change in postural control during the first 12 months after stroke onset. Methods The SwePASS assessments were conducted during the first week and 3, 6 and 12 months after stroke in 90 patients. Svensson’s method, Relative Position (RP), Relative Concentration (RC) and Relative Rank Variance (RV), were used to estimate the scale’s responsiveness and the patients’ change in postural control over time. Results From the first week to 3 months after stroke, the patients improved in terms of postural control with 2 to 12 times larger systematic changes in Relative Position (RP), for which 9 items and the total score showed a significant responsiveness to change when compared to the intrarater reliability measurement error of the SwePASS reported in a previous study. When SwePASS was used to assess change in postural control between the first week and 3 months, 74% of the patients received higher scores while 10% received lower scores, RP 0.31 (95% CI 0.219-0.402). The corresponding figures between 3 and 6 and between 6 and 12 months were 37% and 16%, RP 0.09 (95% CI 0.030-0.152), and 18% and 26%, RP −0.07 (95% CI −0.134- (−0.010)), respectively. Conclusions The SwePASS is responsive to change. Postural control evaluated using the SwePASS showed an improvement during the first 6 months after stroke. The measurement property, in the form of responsiveness, shows that the SwePASS scoring method can be considered for use in rehabilitation when assessing postural control in patients after stroke, especially during the first 3 months.</p

Stroke survivors’ priorities for research related to life after stroke

Background - Stroke has transitioned from an untreatable, unpreventable disease to a highly treatable and preventable disease over recent decades, and the number of stroke survivors is expected to increase. The number is also foreseen to grow larger as a result of an aging population. With an escalating number of stroke survivors, research on how to improve life after stroke is needed. Aims - The primary aim was to determine which area of research related to life after stroke that stroke patients and their informal carers prioritized as being relevant and valuable. Methods - A cross-sectional study of all patients who had completed the 12 months of follow-up in the EFFECTS trial. In the questionnaire the stroke patients and their informal carers were asked to prioritize areas of research they considered important and valuable with respect to their life after stroke. Results - Of the 731 patients who were still alive after the 12 months-follow-up, 589 responded. The most prioritized areas of research were Balance and walking difficulties (290 (49%) responders) and Post-stroke fatigue (173 (29%) responders). Women answered the undefined alternative “other” more often than men (43 women (11%) versus 11 men (6%), p = .04). Younger patients prioritized Post-stroke fatigue to a higher extent (88 (45%) versus (22%), p Balance and walking difficulties (214 (54%) versus 76 (40%), p = .002) and Speech difficulties (38 (10%) versus 9 (5%), p = .045). Conclusions - Life after stroke is perceived differentely with aging. Future research should address strategies to face challenges such as imbalance and walking difficulties and post-stroke-fatigue

Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation Using Surface Electromyography: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Upper limb impairment is common after stroke, and many will not regain full upper limb function. Different technologies based on surface electromyography (sEMG) have been used in stroke rehabilitation, but there is no collated evidence on the different sEMG-driven interventions and their effect on upper limb function in people with stroke. Aim: Synthesize existing evidence and perform a meta-analysis on the effect of different types of sEMG-driven interventions on upper limb function in people with stroke. Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, and PEDro databases were systematically searched for eligible randomized clinical trials that utilize sEMG-driven interventions to improve upper limb function assessed by Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) in stroke. The PEDro scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality and the risk of bias of the included studies. In addition, a meta-analysis utilizing a random effect model was performed for studies comparing sEMG interventions to non-sEMG interventions and for studies comparing different sEMG interventions protocols. Results: Twenty-four studies comprising 808 participants were included in this review. The methodological quality was good to fair. The meta-analysis showed no differences in the total effect, assessed by total FMA-UE score, comparing sEMG interventions to non-sEMG interventions (14 studies, 509 participants, SMD 0.14, P 0.37, 95% CI –0.18 to 0.46, I2 55%). Similarly, no difference in the overall effect was found for the meta-analysis comparing different types of sEMG interventions (7 studies, 213 participants, SMD 0.42, P 0.23, 95% CI –0.34 to 1.18, I2 73%). Twenty out of the twenty-four studies, including participants with varying impairment levels at all stages of stroke recovery, reported statistically significant improvements in upper limb function at post-sEMG intervention compared to baseline. Conclusion: This review and meta-analysis could not discern the effect of sEMG in comparison to a non-sEMG intervention or the most effective type of sEMG intervention for improving upper limb function in stroke populations. Current evidence suggests that sEMG is a promising tool to further improve functional recovery, but randomized clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed to verify whether the effect on upper extremity function of a specific sEMG intervention is superior compared to other non-sEMG or other type of sEMG interventions

Stroke in women — from evidence to inequalities

Stroke is the second largest cause of disability-adjusted life-years lost worldwide. The prevalence of stroke in women is predicted to rise rapidly, owing to the increasing average age of the global female population. Vascular risk factors differ between women and men in terms of prevalence, and evidence increasingly supports the clinical importance of sex differences in stroke. The influence of some risk factors for stroke — including diabetes mellitus and atrial fibrillation — are stronger in women, and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy also affect the risk of stroke decades after pregnancy. However, in an era of evidence-based medicine, women are notably under-represented in clinical trials — despite governmental actions highlighting the need to include both men and women in clinical trials — resulting in a reduced generalizability of study results to women. The aim of this Review is to highlight new insights into specificities of stroke in women, to plan future research priorities, and to influence public health policies to decrease the worldwide burden of stroke in women

Update on the EFFECTS study of fluoxetine for stroke recovery: a randomised controlled trial in Sweden

Studies have suggested that fluoxetine might improve neurological recovery after stroke, but the results remain inconclusive. The EFFECTS (Efficacy oF Fluoxetine – a randomisEd Controlled Trial in Stroke) reached its recruitment target of 1500 patients in June 2019. The purpose of this article is to present all amendments to the protocol and describe how we formed the EFFECTS trial collaboration in Sweden. Methods In this investigator-led, multicentre, parallel-group, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, we enrolled non-depressed stroke patients aged 18 years or older between 2 and 15 days after stroke onset. The patients had a clinical diagnosis of stroke (ischaemic or intracerebral haemorrhage) with persisting focal neurological deficits. Patients were randomised to fluoxetine 20 mg or matching placebo capsules once daily for 6 months. Results Seven amendments were made and included clarification of drug interaction between fluoxetine and metoprolol and the use of metoprolol for severe heart failure as an exclusion criterion, inclusion of data from central Swedish registries and the Swedish Stroke Register, changes in informed consent from patients, and clarification of design of some sub-studies. EFFECTS recruited 1500 patients at 35 centres in Sweden between 20 October 2014 and 28 June 2019. We plan to unblind the data in January 2020 and report the primary outcome in May 2020. Conclusion EFFECTS will provide data on the safety and efficacy of 6 months of treatment with fluoxetine after stroke in a Swedish health system setting. The data from EFFECTS will also contribute to an individual patient data meta-analysis

A multicenter study on transfer, walking and stair climbing in persons with stroke admitted to specialized rehabilitation

Background: Walking on even surface and stair walking capacity are prerequisites for independence, and these capacities are often referred to as primary goals in rehabilitation after stroke

Specialized stroke rehabilitation services in seven countries

Background There is a lack of defined levels of rehabilitation, indicating possibly random content and access to specialized services. Aims and/or hypothesis The aim of the study was to perform a multinational descriptive study of specialized rehabilitation in persons with stroke, to elucidate what the different centers define as prerequisites for specialized rehabilitation, and to analyze whether these descriptions map to currently applied standards or constructs of specialized rehabilitation. A secondary aim was to look for similarities and differences between therapies and services for persons with stroke in the sub-acute stage in the different institutions. Methods Descriptive data of the collaborating centers regarding structure and processes of services were recorded and compared with the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine and Specialized Services National Definitions sets. Results Comparisons of the definitions