Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Sep 2007
Comparative StudyFunctional and cognitive capacity and health-related quality of life 2 years after day hospital rehabilitation for stroke: a prospective study.
This study prospectively evaluated long-term outcome 2 years after 6-8 weeks of day hospital rehabilitation (DHR) for stroke in younger patients. Assessment findings after discharge from DHR and at follow-up 2 years later using 3 instruments--the FIM (originally known as the Functional Independence Measure), SF-36, and EuroQol (now known as EQ-5D)--were compared. The study group comprised 50 consecutive patients age 18-60 years at the time of their initial stroke who had participated in a prospective study of the effects of DHR after stroke. ⋯ Women demonstrated less improvement in EuroQol scores than men. Our findings indicate that most stroke patients who sustained initial acute stroke at age 18-60 years and received 6-8 weeks of DHR poststroke maintained functional and cognitive capacity as well as HRQoL after 2 years. Some patients even may have improved their cognitive capacity and HRQoL.