Causes and Trends of Disabilities in Community-Dwelling Stroke Survivors: A Population-Based Study

Many stroke survivors live with disabilities in the community. This study aimed to investigate the causes and trends of disabilities among community-dwelling stroke survivors. A total of 1547 community-dwelling stroke survivors ≥ 19 years were identified using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) database from 2007 to 2018. We analyzed the causes and trends of disabilities in strokes survivors using complex-samples procedures. During 2007–2018, 38.0% of stroke survivors were found to have disabilities. Stroke itself was the most common cause of disabilities (21.3%). Musculoskeletal (back or neck problems, 7.0%; arthritis, 5.7%; and leg pain excluding arthritis, 2.3%), sensory (visual problems, 3.6%; and auditory problems, 1.4%), and medical problems (diabetes 2.6%; hypertension, 2.3%; heart disease, 1.5%) accounted for the rest of the other causes of disabilities. Upon analyzing the trends, we found that both the proportion of stroke survivors with disabilities and that of stroke survivors with stroke-related disabilities decreased from KNHANES IV (2007–2009) to V (2010–2012). After 2010–2012, the proportion of both groups stayed constant. The burden of disabilities in non-hospitalized stroke survivors has decreased but still remains high. Attention is warranted because many other problems than a stroke can cause disabilities in community-dwelling stroke survivors.