Work

Prevalence of poststroke fatigue and its relationship with clinical characteristics among community-dwelling stroke survivors: A cross-sectional survey

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Background and Objective Poststroke fatigue is widely overlooked due to a lack of awareness, definite cause, and cure. It is influenced by cultural variance in psychosocial factors and stroke epidemiology patterns across different countries. To date, the prevalence of poststroke fatigue has not been determined in the Indian setting. Hence our objective was to estimate the prevalence of fatigue among community-living late subacute and chronic stroke survivors. Additionally, we determined the association between poststroke fatigue and participants' clinical and demographic data. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among first-time stroke survivors following discharge from two tertiary care hospitals. Medical records were screened and included if they met the criteria for age >18 years, able to follow a two-step command with no existing neurological or systemic conditions that would influence fatigue scores. Telephonic consent was obtained, and an interview was conducted to obtain the scores for fatigue, daytime sleepiness, depression, functional mobility, and disability. Results A total of 323 participants (mean age: 60.3±12.6 years, mean stroke duration: 8.6±4.4 months) completed the interview. Poststroke fatigue was reported in 11.8% (n=38) of the population. Occupational status (χ 2 =5.73), functional mobility (χ 2 =5.84), and disability scores (χ 2 =8.00) were significantly associated (p<0.05) with fatigue scores. Individuals with disability exhibited five times (OR=5.00, CI: 1.45-17.23, p=0.01) higher odds of experiencing fatigue than those without disability. Conclusion Our study reported a relatively lower prevalence of fatigue among community-living late subacute and chronic stroke survivors. Implementing strategies to address these contributing factors could effectively ease fatigue in individuals recovering from stroke.

Source: Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health

DOI: 10.1016/j.cegh.2024.101812

Authors: Akhila Jagadish, Manikandan Natarajan, Vasudeva Guddattu, John M. Solomon

Institution: Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Language: English

Topic: Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery

Subfield: Rehabilitation

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,200