BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Limited information exists on the long-term outcome from stroke. We aimed to determine survival and health status at 21-year follow-up of patients who participated in a population-based stroke incidence study undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand. METHODS: During 12 months beginning March 1, 1981, half of all residents of Auckland with acute first-ever or recurrent stroke (n=680) were assessed and followed up prospectively during the next 2 decades. In 2002, their vital status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the 36-item short-form questionnaire (SF-36) were determined by telephone interviews. Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities for the stroke cohort were compared with life table estimates for the New Zealand population. The SF-36 profile of 21-year stroke survivors was compared with a standardized New Zealand population. RESULTS: Overall, 626 of the original cohort had died and 4 were lost to follow-up, leaving 50 (7%) individuals (57% male; mean age 70 years) available in 2002, of whom 12% were residents of an institutional care facility and 19% required help with everyday activities. The stroke cohort had nearly twice the mortality rate of the New Zealand population, but the SF-36 profile of very long-term stroke survivors was broadly similar to the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Because stroke is generally a disease of older people and has a high case fatality, it is not surprising that <1 in 10 people survive 2 decades after onset. However, of those who do, their HRQoL profile suggests that they meld relatively successfully within the general population, despite ongoing disability and a higher mortality risk.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Limited information exists on the long-term outcome from stroke. We aimed to determine survival and health status at 21-year follow-up of patients who participated in a population-based stroke incidence study undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand. METHODS: During 12 months beginning March 1, 1981, half of all residents of Auckland with acute first-ever or recurrent stroke (n=680) were assessed and followed up prospectively during the next 2 decades. In 2002, their vital status and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the 36-item short-form questionnaire (SF-36) were determined by telephone interviews. Kaplan-Meier survival probabilities for the stroke cohort were compared with life table estimates for the New Zealand population. The SF-36 profile of 21-year stroke survivors was compared with a standardized New Zealand population. RESULTS: Overall, 626 of the original cohort had died and 4 were lost to follow-up, leaving 50 (7%) individuals (57% male; mean age 70 years) available in 2002, of whom 12% were residents of an institutional care facility and 19% required help with everyday activities. The stroke cohort had nearly twice the mortality rate of the New Zealand population, but the SF-36 profile of very long-term stroke survivors was broadly similar to the general population. CONCLUSIONS: Because stroke is generally a disease of older people and has a high case fatality, it is not surprising that <1 in 10 people survive 2 decades after onset. However, of those who do, their HRQoL profile suggests that they meld relatively successfully within the general population, despite ongoing disability and a higher mortality risk.
Authors: Rodica E Petrea; Alexa S Beiser; Sudha Seshadri; Margaret Kelly-Hayes; Carlos S Kase; Philip A Wolf Journal: Stroke Date: 2009-02-10 Impact factor: 7.914
Authors: I van Wijk; E Lindeman; L J Kappelle; J van Gijn; P J Koudstaal; J W Gorter; A Algra Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2006-05-30 Impact factor: 10.154
Authors: Matthew Nichols; Pia A Elustondo; Jordan Warford; Aruloli Thirumaran; Evgeny V Pavlov; George S Robertson Journal: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab Date: 2016-01-01 Impact factor: 6.200
Authors: Charles D A Wolfe; Siobhan L Crichton; Peter U Heuschmann; Christopher J McKevitt; André M Toschke; Andy P Grieve; Anthony G Rudd Journal: PLoS Med Date: 2011-05-17 Impact factor: 11.069