title: The relationship between executive dysfunction and post-stroke mortality: a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the associations of pre-stroke cognitive performance with mortality after first-ever stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In participants having first-ever stroke or TIA during up to 14 years of post-test follow-up (n=155), we investigated the associations of pre-stroke variables and cognitive test results with post-stroke survival. The study is based on those participants of the Uppsala Longitudinal Study of Adult Men who performed cognitive function tests at approximately age 70 (n=919).
  
  
  METHODS
  Mortality after first-ever stroke or TIA related to pre-stroke executive performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-four (54%) of the first-ever stroke/TIA patients died under a median follow-up of 2.5 years after the event. In Cox proportional hazard analyses adjusting for age, education, social group and traditional stroke risk factors, poor performance in Trail Making Test (TMT)-A was related to mortality (HR 1.88 per SD, 95% CI 1.31 to 2.71, p=0.001). The risk of mortality was approximately threefold higher in the highest tertile compared with the lowest tertile (HR TMT-A= 2.90 per SD, 95% CI 1.24 to 6.77, p=0.014). A similar pattern was seen for TMT-B, but Mini-Mental State Examination results were not related to risk of post-stroke mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Executive performance measured by TMT-A and -B before stroke was independently associated with long-term risk of mortality, after first-ever stroke or TIA in a population-based study of older men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences/Geriatrics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Bernice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wiberg
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kilander
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sundström
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Byberg
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind