Determinants of quality of life in patients with hemorrhagic stroke, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies demonstrated that stroke had an inverse impact on patients’ physical, mental, and social quality of life. AIM: To determine factors contributing to the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of Saudi hemorrhagic stroke survivors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, KSA, on adult stroke patients. Data about the patients’ socio-demographic characters and clinical data were obtained. The Stroke-Specific QOL (SSQOL) scale was used to measure the HRQOL. RESULTS: The mean Stroke-Specific QOL (SSQOL) domains sore was 163.8 ± 46.29. Male patients and those who had bilateral lesions had a significantly higher mean SSQOL score. A non-significant positive correlation was found between the SSQOL score and the patients’ age and post-stroke duration. And a non-significant relationship was found between mean SSQOL score and patients’ nationality, educational level, smoking, marital and financial status, income, social support, insurance or other clinical data, hemorrhagic type, surgical treatment and follow up, comorbidities, or the year and duration of diagnosis. CONCLUSION: There is a need to use stroke rehabilitation programs to improve physical and functional independence and take into account the influence of the side of lesion on HRQOL.