Epilepsy after TIA or stroke in young patients impairs long-term functional outcome: The FUTURE Study

Abstract

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of poststroke epilepsy on long-term functional outcome in young stroke survivors. METHODS: This study is a prospective cohort study among 537 stroke survivors with a first-ever TIA, ischemic stroke, or intracerebral hemorrhagic (ICH) stroke, aged 18 to 50 years. After a mean follow-up of 9.8 years (SD 8.4), we performed a follow-up assessment that included an evaluation for poststroke epilepsy and functional outcome. Odds ratios for poor outcome on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) (score >2) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) (score 2: 27.5% vs 9.8%, p = 0.001; IADL 2: odds ratio 3.38, 95% confidence interval 1.33-8.60). In contrast, there was no such relation for IADL. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy after stroke in young patients is a common problem that negatively affects functional outcome, even more than 10 years after ischemic stroke