Stroke: does side matter?

Of 135 patients seen two weeks following a stroke and followed up for one year, 69 had a right hemiplegia and 66 left-sided weakness. Disturbance of the level of consciousness at the onset and confusion following the stroke were more common in those with right hemiplegia. Confusion, when present, improved more often in those with right hemiplegia. Neither severity nor functional outcome was associated with laterality. Elderly patients with right hemiplegia were more likely to be admitted to hospital, and of those admitted there were significantly more patients with a right hemiplegia admitted to general wards and of those with left hemiplegia to geriatric units. Radios, but not television, were more often used by those patients with left hemiplegia. Most bedside containers were placed on the patients right side irrespective of the side of the lesion.