The Usefulness and Clinical Characteristics of Antidepressant Use for Stroke Patients with Rehabilitation Program: An Exploratory Analysis

OBJECTIVE: There has been a lack of data regarding the usefulness and clinical characteristic between patients-treated with and without antidepressants (Pw/Pwo ADs). METHODS: One hundred and eighty inpatients were recruited and observed for a 6-month. The depressive, cognitive, daily activity, and motor symptoms were evaluated at baseline and tracked at month 6, with the use of rating scales including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale (GDS), modified Rankin Scale (MRS), modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). RESULTS: Among 178 patients, 84 (47.2%) were treated with ADs. PwAD had numerically or significantly higher depressive cognitive, and motor symptoms along with daily activity impairment (8.3 point higher in BDI score, p < 0.001; 3.6 point lower in MMSE, p = 0.003; 0.8 point higher in GDS score, p = nonsignificant; 8.2 point lower in BBS score, p = 0.053, and 0.4 point higher in MBI score, p = nonsignificant) than PwoAD. Psychiatric consultation was also significantly higher in PwAD than in PwoAD (p < 0.001). The numbers need to treat for good clinical outcomes between PwAD and PwoAD were 5.8, 6.0, and 7.5, respectively, by MRS, MBI, and BBS scores. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the potential utility of AD treatment and different clinical parameters between patients-treated with and without ADs. Adequately-powered and well-controlled further studies are mandatory to confirm and fully elaborate such association.