Rehabilitation outcomes of stroke patients with and without diabetes

To investigate the relation of diabetes comorbidity and the rehabilitation outcomes of patients with stroke.

Secondary data analysis.

Inpatient rehabilitation facilities.

Patients with stroke (N=35,243) who received inpatient rehabilitation in 2004 through 2008.

None.

FIM, length of stay, and discharge destination.

Mean age ± SD of the sample was 71.0 ± 13.2 years. The percent of the sample of Medicare beneficiaries was 53.8%, whereas 46.2% had other sources of funding. Of the patients in the sample, 34.5% had a comorbidity of diabetes, with 17.2% classified as tier-eligible and 82.8% as nontier eligible. Findings included that patients in this sample with diabetes were admitted for rehabilitation services at a younger age than those without diabetes and support previous studies in which tier-eligible diabetes comorbidities moderated by patient age were found to be significant predictors of stroke rehabilitation outcomes. Furthermore, similar findings remained regardless of payer source.

This study provides additional evidence that diabetes as a comorbidity is significantly related to stroke rehabilitation outcome, but the relation is moderated by patient age.