[Quality of life in younger adults (17-49) after first stroke--a two year follow-up].
To study the effect of stroke on the quality of life in younger adults, 199 patients 17-49 years of age who had sustained a first stroke between 1.11.92 and 31.10.93 were followed up. They were interviewed by telephone at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after the event. 2 died during the first year of follow-up, and 8 had recurrent strokes. After 2 years, 8 additional patients had died and 4 had sustained recurrent events. Gradual improvement was reported within all age groups and in all areas. During the 3-6 months period, a mean of 4% improvement occurred in functional capability, 15% in social and recreational activity and 8% in return-to-work. The 6-12 month period showed an increase of 3% in improvement in mean functional capability, 10% in social and recreational activity and 2% in return-to-work. 1 year after the stroke 27% remained with moderate to severe disability, but over 86% were functionally independent in their daily living activities. There were no significant changes during the second year of follow-up in these statistics. 67% of those employed prior to their stroke returned to work and approximately 70% reported a return to prestroke social and recreational activity. These results demonstrate that the relatively high recovery rate and functional improvement during a year of follow-up were not accompanied by similar rates of improvement in employment and in social integration. They indicate the need for increased emphasis on long-term psychosocial rehabilitation services within the community.
Alfassa
S
S
Fleischman Unit for Study of Disability, Loewenstein Hospital, Ra'anana.
Ronen
R
R
Ring
H
H
Dynia
A
A
Tamir
A
A
Eldar
R
R
D000328:Adult; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004651:Employment; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D011998:Recreation; D012008:Recurrence; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors