What is the quality of life in long-term survivors of stroke?

This study looked at the quality of life led by stroke survivors 10 years after their initial stroke occurrence. 

A stroke occurs when there is a disturbance of blood supply to a part of the brain. This can be caused by a blood clot in the brain (ischemic stroke) or a burst blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke), both resulting in a lack of oxygen and food reaching the brain tissue, resulting in cell death.

Most stroke survivors suffer from changes in their physical and emotional well-being. These changes can include physical disabilities, trouble with speech and language, pain sensation and feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and depression.  This study evaluates these effects and patient recovery ten years after stroke occurrence.  

This study was carried out on 145 stroke survivors who suffered from a stroke ten years previously. Half of the patients were aged >78 years. Functional status (dependency on others), degree of disability, and housing situation (ordinary housing compared to home care or living in a nursing facility) were recorded. Additionally, each participant was asked to fill out a questionnaire to help measure their overall health, mobility, self-care, work situation, everyday activities, feelings of pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression and the frequency of physical activity.

The authors found that ten years after stroke onset, more than two thirds of survivors were independent in activities of daily living.  90% of patients still lived in ordinary housing and 71% had no or only slight disability. Anxiety and depression affected 29% of stroke survivors and 43% of survivors suffered from either moderate or severe pain. A majority of the survivors rated their overall health status in positive terms, despite reporting severe disability indicating that other factors such as social activities and communication contribute to perceived overall health. Nearly half reported that they were physically active >4x weekly and the authors concluded that physical activity may improve quality of life.

This study concludes that long-term stroke survivors report good overall functional and health status but health care and support needs to be optimized in order to improve the quality of life of stroke survivors. 

The study was carried out on 145 out of 416 (68 deceased) registered stroke victims which is a relatively low number of patients in a study group, and while the overall functional status is reported as good among survivors, the survival rate remains relatively low. 

Seeking appropriate care and medical assistance, mental health counseling, and increasing physical activity may enhance your overall health status and quality of life following a stroke.