The Copenhagen Stroke Study experience.

The Copenhagen Stroke (COST) Study was a prospective, consecutive, community-based study of 1,197 patients with acute stroke who underwent acute stroke care and rehabilitation in a stroke unit setting. This article reviews the results of this study with respect to (1) the effect of organized stroke care and rehabilitation, (2) neurological outcome and functional outcome of stroke in relation to initial stroke severity and functional disability, (3) recovery of upper-extremity function and walking, (4) time course of neurological and functional recovery relative to initial stroke severity, (5) mechanisms of stroke recovery, and (6) the effect on stroke recovery of various demographic, medical, and pathophysiological factors, such as stroke in progression, spontaneous reperfusion age, diabetes, blood glucose on admission, stroke type (hemorrhage/infarction), silent infarction, and leuco-araiosis.