Post Stroke Depression

INTRODUCTION: Comorbidity of depression and stroke significantly reduces the quality of life of patients after the stroke. Squeal after stroke also determines the quality of life and have impact on the occurrence of depression after the stroke. In our study we investigated the occurrence of depression in patients after different types and subtypes of stroke measured by the Hamilton scale compared to the level of disability measured by NIHSS scale. GOAL: The goal was to make a comparative analysis of depression after stroke, according to gender and age, side of the lesion and the severity of neurological deficit. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Material for our work are 210 patients with stroke treated at the Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Sarajevo University in 2012, 105 male and 105 female. The mean age of the patients was 67.12±9.5 years. Ischemic stroke was present in 65% cases. There was no statistically significant difference between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke among genders. In case of hemorrhagic M-56.7%, F-43.3%; ischemic M-48.3%, F-51.7% (chi-square=6.563, p=0.082). Depression was more prevalent among younger patients (52-60 years) with 39.2% then in the group of older patients (61-70 years) with 32% of depressed. In relation to gender there was significantly more patients with depression among women compared to men (63.8:27.2%, chi-square=14.38, p=0.00019). Depression was more frequent in patients with stroke in the left hemisphere medial localization (63%). NIHSS scale average was 16.07 with the minimum of 11 and maximum of 22, F=52.56, p=0.001. CONCLUSIONS: We can conclude that depression after stroke is more frequent in younger patients, female patients, patients with localized stroke in the medial left hemisphere and with higher disability score.