BMC Psychiatry — Scott Cunningham MD PhD, et al. | November 21, 2022
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Post-stroke depression is associated with decreased functional outcomes and increased mortality. Despite a cumulative incidence reported to be as high as 55%, post-stroke depression is under-diagnosed and -treated. The current study showed that a history of depression and a PHQ-9 score > 5 were predictive of post-stroke depression.
Stroke survivors at increased risk for post-stroke depression may benefit from fluoxetine treatment to improve mood and prevent new onset depression.
This was a retrospective analysis of data from adults who were admitted to an academic stroke center with an acute ischemic stroke over a 5-year period. The PHQ-9 was administered to the study subjects 4-6 weeks after hospital discharge; a score > 5 was considered significant for depression. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors (history of depression, demographics, stroke severity, PHQ-9 score) predictive of post-stroke depression.
Three hundred seven stroke survivors were the study subjects. The mean age was 65.5 years and 52% of the subjects were females.
The ORs for post-stroke depression were a history of depression (4.11) and a PHQ-9 score > 5 (1.17). There was no association between post-stroke depression and stroke severity, marital status, living alone, employment status, and outpatient treatment.