Mental status and health-related quality of life in an elderly population 15 years after limited cerebral ischaemia.
BACKGROUND
Stroke has a major impact on survivors. Our study was designed to describe the mental status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in long-term survivors of TIA or minor ischaemic stroke (MIS) and evaluate associations of mental and physical factors with HR-QoL.


METHODS
A random sample of the 10-year survivors of the Dutch TIA Trial (DTT) and the dutch participants of the European Atrial Fibrillation Trial (EAFT) were interviewed by postal questionnaire (n = 468) and at home (n = 198). Demographic data, mental health status (depression (CES-D), cognition (CAMCOG)), and health perception (SF-36 and Euroqol) were measured.


RESULTS
198 long-term survivors were included; mean age was 72.5 (SD 8.7 years), 22% was depressed (CES-D > or = 16) and 15% had cognitive dysfunction (CAMCOG < 80). The overall HR-QoL did not differ much from the norm population. Physical disability, occurrence of a major stroke and comorbidity of locomotion or the heart were independently associated with a low health perception.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite varying amounts of disability, the majority of long-term survivors of a TIA or MIS rated their quality of life as rather good. Physical factors, rather than mental status were independently related to a decrease in perceived health.
van Wijk
I
I
Department of Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Gorter
J W
JW
Lindeman
E
E
Kappelle
L J
LJ
van Gijn
J
J
Koudstaal
P J
PJ
Algra
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors