Depression in acute stroke.
OBJECTIVE
Depression is one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric disturbances in stroke patients. The clinical aspects and correlations of depression in the first days after acute stroke are less known. This study aimed to 1) assess the frequency of depression, 2) describe the profile of depression of stroke patients and 3) analyze the relation between depression and demographic, predisposing and precipitating conditions, and clinical and imaging data, in acute stroke patients.


METHODS
We used the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale to assess depression in 178 consecutive acute (<or= 4 days) stroke (26 subarachnoid hemorrhage, 31 intracerebral hemorrhage, 121 cerebral infarct) patients (mean age 57 yr) and in a control group of 50 acute coronary patients (mean age 59 yr).


RESULTS
Eighty-two patients (46%) presented acute depression; apathy/loss of interest was the most frequent clinical feature. In logistic regression, the best model to predict depression (backward model) identified previous mood disorder (odds ratio 2.2-12.9) as an independent predictor. There were no significant differences in the frequency or severity (p > 0.45) of depression between control subjects and acute stroke patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Depression was present in almost one-half of the acute stroke patients and was related to previous mood disorder but not not to stroke type or location. Apathy/loss of interest was the predominant clinical feature.
Caeiro
Lara
L
Stroke Unit, Serviço de Neurologia, Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Hospital de Santa Maria, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Portugal. laracaeiro@fm.ul.pt
Ferro
José M
JM
Santos
Catarina O
CO
Figueira
M Luísa
ML
D000368:Aged; D020520:Brain Infarction / Q000150:complications; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000150:complications; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*