By Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
THURSDAY, March 11, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The trauma and stroke can often burden survivors with long-term depression, and women appear to be at particular risk, new research shows.
“We did not expect that the cumulative risk of depression would remain so permanently increased,” said study author Dr. Laura Stein, Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine on Mount Sinai in New York City.
She said too often, “Post-stroke depression is not just a passing result of difficulty adjusting to life after a stroke.”
In the study, Stein’s team analyzed data from Medicare patients aged 65 and over who were hospitalized for an ischemic stroke (more than 174,000) or heart attack (more than 193,000) from July 2016 to December 31, 2017. Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain.
The patients were followed for an average of 1.5 years. People with a history of depression within six months prior to their stroke or heart attack were excluded.
continuation
While depression can affect any heart patient, Stein’s group found that stroke survivors were about 50% higher at risk of depression than heart attack survivors.
Anxiety often played a role: 10.3% of stroke patients and 11.8% of heart attack patients had an anxiety history, and stroke patients with an anxiety history were almost twice as likely to get depression than those without anxiety, the study showed.
Gender and younger age also seemed to play a role: people aged 75 and over were 19% less likely to be diagnosed with depression than younger patients, and women who had survived a stroke were more likely to develop depression 20% higher than male survivors.
The results come from two preliminary studies due to be presented later this month at the annual virtual American Stroke Association meeting.
“Post-stroke depression is almost three times as common as in the general population and can affect up to a third of stroke patients,” Stein said in a press release from the association. She is also a neurologist at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Queens Stroke Center in New York City.
continuation
A specialist unaffiliated with the new study said the results reflect the experience of many patients.
Brittany LeMonda is a senior neuropsychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She said the reason a stroke is more likely to lead to depression than a heart attack is clear: “People who have had a stroke can also experience greater disability – and a loss of autonomy – while heart attack patients typically don’t Grade of life undergo changes. “
Identifying the patients at greatest risk for post-stroke depression can be critical “for quick intervention and better outcomes,” she added.
Stein agreed. “Our current results underscore the need for active screening and management of depression in the immediate and post-stroke period and the importance of screening all stroke patients for post-stroke depression, including women and those with a history of mental illness.” She said.
Dr. Andrew Rogove leads stroke care at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, New York. Offering a qualification on the study, he noted that “the population studied was over 65 years of age. It would be interesting to see the post-stroke rate of depression in a younger population and to see if there are gender differences in the incidence of depression Post-stroke depression exists in this population. “
continuation
Since the results are to be presented at a medical meeting, they should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The Heart and Stroke Foundation is more concerned with post-stroke depression.
SOURCES: Brittany LeMonda, PhD, Senior Neuropsychologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; Andrew Rogove, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Stroke Services, South Shore University Hospital, Bay Shore, NY; American Stroke Association, press release March 11, 2021
Comments are closed.