Comparisons of Functional, Physical, and Mental Health Outcomes Among Young and Old Stroke Survivors

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine how functional, mental, and physical health outcomes differ between younger (Methods: Data from adult stroke survivors examined health-related outcomes (physical and mental health) over the past 30 days. Logistic regression models were used for binary functional outcomes, and Poisson regression models were used to estimate count outcomes for poor mental and physical health days. Results: Compared with older adults, younger stroke survivors were more likely to report difficulty concentrating or remembering (41.1% vs. 23.2%, p < 0.0001) and difficulty doing errands alone (27.11% vs. 23.67%, p = 0.00), but less likely to report difficulty walking or climbing stairs (34.3% vs. 47.6%, p < 0.0001). Additionally, younger adults with stroke reported significantly more poor mental health days (10.81 vs. 5.76, p < 0.0001) than older adults. In adjusted models, being out of work or out of the labor force was consistently associated with greater odds of functional limitations (e.g., OR for activity difficulty = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.56-2.75) and higher counts of poor mental and physical health days. Younger stroke survivors who were out of the labor force had significantly greater odds of difficulty concentrating (OR = 2.02, 95% CI: 1.17-3.48) and increased days of poor mental (IRR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.19-1.70) and physical health (IRR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.19-1.53). Conclusions: These findings highlight the intersection of age and employment on stroke outcomes. Younger stroke survivors face unique and disproportionate challenges in functional and mental health.