Depressive symptoms following ischemic stroke: a study of 207 patients

Depression is a frequent and important problem for patients who have experienced strokes. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms, their clinical correlations, and the effects of depressive symptoms on stroke recovery. A consecutive cohort of 207 ischemic stroke patients with a mean age of 64 years, were studied for ascertaining any correlation between potential risk factors and the incidence of post-stroke depression (PSD). Depressive symptoms were relatively common (34.3% Hamilton depression rating scale > 10), but the prevalence of severe depression (HDRS > 17) was only 7.7%. Patients with depressive symptoms were more likely to be female, have a family history of depression, and a poor functional outcome. There were no significant differences between depressive symptoms and age, marital status, location of stroke lesion, and duration after stroke onset. Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms occurred in about one third of post stroke patients. There is a negative correlation between depressive symptoms and functional status of the patients.