The effects of fatigue, pain, and depression on quality of life in ischemic stroke patients: The Bergen Stroke Study Full Text
Vascular Health and Risk Management, 06/28/2012
Clinical Article
Naess H et al. – Pain, fatigue, and depression were common symptoms among these stroke patients and, to a large extent, they determined the patients' health–related quality of life (HRQoL). Low HRQoL was associated with increased mortality.
Methods- All surviving stroke patients admitted to the Stroke Unit, Haukeland University Hospital, Norway between February 2006 and November 2008 were sent a questionnaire, including a visual analog pain scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Depression Subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Barthel Index, and three measures of HRQoL – 15D, EuroQol, and EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale – at least 6 months after stroke onset.
- Cox regression survival analysis, including EQ–5D, was performed by November 2009.
- The questionnaire was returned by 328 patients.
- All three symptoms were reported by 10.1% of the patients, and 26% reported two symptoms.
- There was a significant association between worse HRQoL scores and an increasing number of cooccurring symptoms for all three HRQoL scores.
- Fatigue, depression, pain, functional state, and sleeping disorder on follow–up accounted for 58%–83% of the variability in HRQoL, depending on which HRQoL scale was used.
- Cox regression analysis showed that mortality was associated with a low EuroQol score (P = 0.016).
