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Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Determining the Functional Status of the Corticospinal Tract Within One Week of Stroke
Published on: February 22, 2020
Age and functional outcome after stroke
Randie M Black-Schaffer1, Cynthia Winston
1Young Adult Stroke Service, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
The effect of age on functional outcome after stroke remains uncertain. Many studies have found that younger patients do better than older patients, whereas others have found minimal or no effect of age on rehabilitation outcomes. We examined the effect of advancing age on FIM trade mark gain, length of stay, length of stay efficiency, and home discharge in 979 stroke rehabilitation patients at a long-term acute care rehabilitation hospital. We found a strong relationship of increasing age to poorer outcome in all measures for patients with admission FIM (AFIM) score <40, a variable relationship in those with AFIM 40-80, and no relationship of age to the outcome measures in patients with AFIM >80.