[Prevalence and associated factors of anger post stroke: a systematic review]

Stroke is one of the main causes of death and disability and has a high economic cost. Anger after stroke is common and worsens functionality and quality of life. The study of this comorbidity has been hampered by the lack of standardization in anger's evaluation.

To show the current evidence of anger's prevalence and anger's associated factors after stroke.

Medline systematic review of original papers studying prevalence and associated factors of anger after stroke.

Post-stroke anger has a high prevalence (15-57.2%). Most studies have found a lack of association between irritability and sex, age, type, size, laterality and severity of the stroke and functionality. Occasionally anger has been associated with frontal infarcts and aphasia. Data regarding the association between anger and motor deficits and cognitive impairment has been inconclusive while the association between anger and psychiatric history, post stroke emotional incontinence and post stroke depression has been widely replicated. Environmental factors have been difficult to study but may be relevant.

There is a high prevalence of anger post stroke. Psychiatric factors have been associated to it, while other associations are less conclusive. To improve anger knowledge and management, it would be necessary to improve its definition and assessment.