Handicap and its determinants of change in stroke survivors: one-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
Stroke, a major health issue affecting the elderly, limits their participation in society. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in stroke survivors' handicap levels and to identify their determinants in the subacute phase from 3 months to 1 year.


METHODS
Data were collected from a prospective cohort of 303 Chinese stroke survivors with the use of questionnaires, including the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living-Chinese Version (IADL-CV), Barthel Index, Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination, Chinese Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Chinese version of the London Handicap Scale.


RESULTS
A total of 297 and 268 patients were successfully followed up at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Whereas IADL remained unchanged throughout, we found an improvement in Barthel Index but a deterioration in the Chinese Geriatric Depression Scale score at 12 months. Multilevel modeling revealed improvements in the mobility and social integration handicap domains and a deterioration in the orientation domain at 12 months. Overall handicap remained unchanged. At 12 months, depression was most significantly and independently associated with poststroke handicap, and advanced old age alone (>80 years) was associated with clinically significant deterioration in handicap.


CONCLUSIONS
Even though IADL remained static at 1 year, mobility and social integration handicap dimensions can be improved in the early community phase after stroke. Nonphysical factors such as depression were confirmed to be significantly associated with handicap. Rehabilitation should target the high-risk group of very elderly stroke survivors who were 4 times more likely to deteriorate in handicap.
Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Shatin Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 33 A Kung Kok St, Ma On Shan, New Territories, Hong Kong, China. losk@ha.org.hk
Raymond S K
RS
Lo
Joanna O Y
JO
Cheng
Eric M C
EM
Wong
Wai Kwong
WK
Tang
Lawrence K S
LK
Wong
Jean
J
Woo
Timothy
T
Kwok
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation