Relationship Between Dyspnoea Scales and Quality of Life in Stroke Survivors: A Retrospective Analysis

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between different dyspnoea scales and clinical and physical parameters of stroke patients and to identify the most appropriate scale for stroke patients. Materials and Methods: This study, designed as a retrospective analysis, involved 203 patients diagnosed with stroke. Dyspnoea intensity was evaluated using four different scales: Oxygen Cost Diagram (OCD), Basic Dyspnoea Index (BDI), Modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and quality of life (Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 (SIS)) were also assessed. Results: The regression model explained only 20.2% of the variance in SIS total scores (R² = 0.202), indicating that key predictors might be missing. Additionally, dyspnoea scales showed statistically significant but modest correlations with SIS total scores (r = 0.248-0.397), suggesting limited clinical significance. There was a statistically significant relationship between age and dyspnoea scales, except for OCD (r = -0.153, p = 0.056). A statistically significant relationship was found between the MIP and OCD scales (r = 0.290, p < 0.001) and BDI scale (r = 0.195, p = 0.014). However, only the BDI showed a statistically significant relationship with the other three dyspnoea scales in stroke patients. Conclusions: The OCD and BDI can evaluate dyspnoea ratings during day-to-day activities; therefore, these scales were significantly correlated with inspiratory muscle strength in stroke patients. Our findings suggest that while BDI and OCD are valuable tools for dyspnoea assessment in stroke patients, the overall predictive power of dyspnoea scales for quality of life is limited. Future studies should consider additional variables, such as comorbidities and rehabilitation intensity, to improve predictive accuracy and clinical relevance.