Despite a high rate of depression, few stroke survivors take antidepressants, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Studies have suggested an association between stroke survival and mood disturbances such as depression. But it's been unclear how many stroke survivors suffer from depression and how many are treated, particularly in the long term, said Seana L. Paul, B.Sc. (Hons), lead author of the study and researcher at the National Stroke Research Institute in Victoria, Australia.
"Stroke patients suffering from depression have been found to have reduced quality of life and a higher rate of death, so it is important to identify and treat depression after stroke," Paul said.
From May 1, 1997 to April 30, 1999, researchers identified those who had a stroke among 306,631 people in the North East Melbourne Stroke Incidence Study (NEMESIS). Researchers excluded those who had suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain).
Nurse researchers visited the 289 participants (51 percent men, average age 73) in their homes five years after their stroke. During the interviews, the researchers assessed participants for depression and asked about all medications they were taking, including antidepressants.
At five years after stroke, researchers found:
"We have confirmed that depression is common even up to five years after stroke, and that the majority of those taking antidepressant medication were not depressed," Paul said. "This provides indirect evidence that antidepressants are effective in treating de
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Contact: Karen Astle
karen.astle@heart.org
214-706-1396
American Heart Association
28-Sep-2006