Symptom and Functional Clusters Regarding Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and Associated Factors Among Patients...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in China, leaving survivors with significant symptoms like weakness, pain, fatigue, and depression.
• These post-stroke symptoms negatively impact survivors' quality of life and increase the burden on caregivers.
• Understanding symptom and functional profiles is vital for effective stroke recovery and management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify distinct clusters of symptoms and functional status in Chinese stroke patients.
• To determine factors associated with these symptom-functional clusters.
• To investigate the influence of family burden on stroke patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 779 stroke patients from three tertiary hospitals in China.
• Utilized electronic questionnaires including demographics and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures.
• Employed latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression for data analysis.

Main Results:

• Three symptom-functional clusters were identified: 'low-symptom high-function' (36.4%), 'moderate-symptom moderate-function' (54.6%), and 'high-symptom low-function' (9.0%).
• Factors associated with the 'high-symptom low-function' cluster included older age, unemployment, lower income, lack of insurance, living alone, and higher family burden.
• Family burden was inversely associated with the 'high-symptom low-function' class, suggesting a complex relationship.

Conclusions:

• Significant heterogeneity exists in symptom and functional profiles among Chinese stroke patients.
• Targeted management strategies are essential for optimizing stroke rehabilitation.
• Healthcare professionals should prioritize socio-economically vulnerable and socially isolated patients for interventions.