Study of the Recovery Patterns of Elderly Subacute Stroke Patients in an Interdisciplinary Neurorehabilitation Unit

• Published in: Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases Vol. 24; no. 10; pp. 2213 - 2218
• Main Authors: Balasch i Bernat, Mercè, PhD, Balasch i Parisi, Sebastià, PhD, Noé Sebastián, Enrique, PhD, Dueñas Moscardó, Lirios, PhD, Ferri Campos, Joan, PhD, Lopez-Bueno, Laura, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2015
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Cardiovascular; Elderly people; Female; Humans; Male; Neurological Rehabilitation; Neurology; Outcome Assessment (Health Care); outcome assessment scales; Principal Component Analysis; Recovery of Function - physiology; rehabilitation; Retrospective Studies; stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation; Treatment Outcome; Elderly people; rehabilitation; outcome assessment scales; stroke
• ISSN: 1052-3057; 1532-8511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2015.05.014

Background This study seeks to establish the facts of the improvement over time in elderly poststroke patients. Methods A retrospective study was performed with regard to 106 subacute stroke patients aged older than 65 years, who were treated in an interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation unit. Three assessment points were established (on admission, 6 months post-onset, and 12 months post-onset), with the scores relative to 10 assessment scales having been collected at each point. Results By means of a principal component analysis, a first component was obtained, which is taken to represent a combined index of the 10 scales and to express the overall health status of the patient. An analysis of variance of this first component enabled a clear improvement trend to be identified, with this being more marked during the first 6-month period (72.7%) than the second 6-month period (27.3%). Conclusions The elderly stroke patients underwent an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program lasting 1 year, experimented an initial period of rapid recovery during the first 6 months followed by a less marked period of improvement. However, no stabilization period in the patients' progress was found.