Clinical recovery and health-related quality of life in ischaemic stroke survivors receiving thrombolytic treatment: a 1-year follow-up study.
The aims of this study were to examine prospectively the course of neurological and functional recovery and health related quality of life (HRQoL) in ischaemic stroke patients after intravenous thrombolysis, to assess the 1-year outcome and to determine the early predictors. A group of 53 consecutive patients were assessed at admission to the acute stroke unit (T0), before their discharge (T1), and at 3 (T2) and 12 (T3) months after hospital discharge. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the Barthel Index (BI) and the Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SSQoL) were used to evaluate stroke severity, functional disability and health related quality of life (HRQoL). A good outcome was defined as simultaneous improvement in all three scales. At T0, 83 % of the patients had severe or moderate neurological impairment. Additionally, 77 % demonstrated very severe or severe disability when assessed by the BI. 74 and 79 % of the patients reported an acceptable HRQoL at 3 and 12 months following discharge, respectively. Neurological and functional status improved significantly over time with most changes occurring during hospitalization and the subsequent 3 months. At T3, 75.5 % of the patients had the good outcome which had been independently predicted by the level of stroke related disability at T0. A majority of the stroke survivors treated with thrombolysis achieved a good outcome. The measurement of stroke specific HRQoL, as a tool for gathering information from the patient, should be incorporated in the assessment of post-stroke recovery and outcome.
Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Nursing, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowski 11 str., 61-170, Poznan, Poland. bgfudala@ump.edu.pl.
Barbara
B
Grabowska-Fudala
Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Nursing, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowski 11 str., 61-170, Poznan, Poland.
Krystyna
K
Jaracz
Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Nursing, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowski 11 str., 61-170, Poznan, Poland.
Krystyna
K
Górna
Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Jan
J
Jaracz
Department of Neurology and Cerebrovascular Disorders, L. Bierkowski Hospital, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
Radosław
R
Kaźmierski
D000368:Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Clinical status; Outcome; Quality of life; Stroke; Thrombolytic therapy