New research has shown that womenwho survive stroke have a worse quality of life than men.
Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre in the USA compared the quality of life in men and women who had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). A total of 1,370 patients aged between 56 and 77years were included in the study. Their quality of life was measured at three months and one year after a stroke or TIA using a formula that assesses mobility, self-care, everyday activities, depression/anxiety and pain.
The results of the study showed that at three months women were more likely than men to report problems with mobility, pain, discomfort and anxiety and depression, but the difference was greatest in those aged over 75 years. At one year, women still had lower quality of life scores overall than men but the magnitude of those differences had diminished.
The senior author of the study Dr Cheryl Bushnell, Associate Professor of Neurology said, “We found that women had a worse quality of life than men up to 12 months following a stroke, even after considering differences in important socio-demographic variables, stroke severity and disability.”
“As more people survive strokes, physicians and other healthcare providers should pay attention to quality of life issues and work to develop better interventions, even gender-specific screening tools, to improve these patients’ lives” she added.
The study was published in the February 7th online issue of the journal Neurology.
