Quality of life in stroke patients

To determine the quality of life and its relationship with socio-demographic and medical factors in patients with stroke.

Seventy patients with stroke seen in the neurology clinic on a follow-up visit; at least a period of 3 months of follow-up was included.

Data were collected using (a) a questionnaire to determine patients' socio-demographic factors, (b) Short Form-36 (SF-36) and (c) Perceived Social Support from the Family Scale.

The mean score of global quality of life in patients was 37.08±17.03, and the mean score on Perceived Social Support from the Family Scale was 11.21±7.12. The mean score of global quality of life varied significantly according to age, gender, education, profession, place of residence, comorbidities, affected brain area, disease duration and educational level of the caregiver.

These results showed a low mean quality-of-life score in patients with stroke. There is a positive and significant correlation between scores on the Perceived Social Support from the Family Scale and various aspects of quality of life, such as functional status, well-being, general health perception and global quality of life.