New Study Reveals Prolonged Depression in Stroke Survivors

Sad female checking phone content in the night at home

United States – Around six out of ten stroke survivors will ultimately develop depression at some point in life, a recent analysis showed, as reported by The HealthDay.

This is compared with the 22% prevailing depression rate in the general public, which is the input.

Timing and Onset

Besides the statistic, 9 of 10 stroke-related depression cases occur within five years of the stroke, researchers reported.

“Depression is common in stroke survivors, but our research shows it persists for much longer than previously thought,” researcher Yanzhong Wang, a professor of statistics in population health at King’s College London, said in a news release.

Biochemical alterations in the brain because of stroke trauma are responsible for depression because they inhibit the ability of a person to feel happiness, according to the American Stroke Association.

Study Findings and Implications

For the study, the investigators reviewed the data of 6,600 stroke survivors whose data appeared in the South London stroke registry.

Findings revealed that the major depression had an early onset of stroke, prolonged than its estimated length of time, and quick to relapse, which was quicker than cases of mild depression.

Depression might be one of the crucial causes of stroke after survivors’ mobility decreases, and simple things like walking and holding objects can be performed much less easily for them, Wang mentioned. Overdosage remains top among other factors that can lead to fatality from the use of these drugs.

“Quality of life is important for stroke survivors as there is evidence depressed survivors have a reduced survival rate,” researcher Lu Liu, a doctoral candidate at King’s College London, said in a news release.

“There are many reasons why this could be, including disruptions to the survivor’s social life, reduced physical ability, and inflammatory disorders observed in depressed patients,” Liu added.

Clinical Considerations

Physicians should pay great attention to patients with depression whose effect lasts for more than one year, hence the high level of risk of becoming constantly depressed, as reported by The HealthDay.

The new article in The Lancet Regional Health — Europe journal just came out.