Manual and oral apraxia in acute stroke, frequency and influence on functional outcome: The Copenhagen Stroke Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency of manual and oral apraxia in acute stroke and to examine the influence of these symptoms on functional outcome.


METHODS
Seven hundred seventy six unselected, acute stroke patients who were admitted within seven days of stroke onset with unimpaired consciousness were included. If possible, the patients were assessed for manual and oral apraxia on acute admission. Neurologic stroke severity including aphasia was assessed with the Scandinavian Stroke Scale, and activities of daily living function was assessed with the Barthel Index. All patients completed their rehabilitation in the same large stroke unit.


RESULTS
Six hundred eighteen patients could cooperate with the apraxia assessments. Manual apraxia was found in 7% of subjects (10% in left and 4% in right hemispheric stroke; chi2 = 9.0; P = 0.003). Oral apraxia was found in 6% (9% in left and 4% in right hemispheric stroke; chi2 = 5.4; P = 0.02). Both manual and oral apraxia were related to increasing stroke severity, and manual, but not oral, apraxia was associated with increasing age. There was no gender difference in frequency of apraxia. Patients with either type of apraxia had temporal lobe involvement more often than patients without. When analyzed with multiple linear and logistic regression analyses, neither manual nor oral apraxia had any independent influence on functional outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Apraxia is significantly less frequent in unselected patients with acute stroke than has previously been assumed and has no independent negative influence on functional outcome.
Pedersen
P M
PM
Department of Neurology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jørgensen
H S
HS
Kammersgaard
L P
LP
Nakayama
H
H
Raaschou
H O
HO
Olsen
T S
TS
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001072:Apraxias / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome