A recent Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, study indicates that patients who have sustained a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) exhibit high rates of depression and adds that two-thirds of stroke and TIA patients are under-treated for this condition. Daniel Laskowitz, MD, professor of medicine at Duke, senior author of the study, notes that its findings, “suggest this not just a simple association between depression and the functional impairment typically associated with stroke.” According to the study, several factors may come into play. Researchers say brain injury associated with stroke and TIA may cause depression, or the vascular risk factors that predispose patients to stroke and TIA may also heighten their risk of depression.

The study reportedly encompassed 1,450 adults with ischemic stroke and 397 adults with TIA from 99 US hospitals. The results suggest that 3 months following hospitalization, depression affected 18% of stroke patients and 14% of TIA patients. The results also note that at 12 months, depression affected 16% of stroke patients and 13% of TIA patients. Researchers add that nearly 70% of stroke and TIA patients with persistent depression were not treated with antidepressant therapy during the 3- or 12-month intervals. 

Nada El Husseini, MD, stroke fellow at Duke, first author of study, emphasizes that the, “high rates of under-treated depression seen in this study demonstrate the need for depression screening in these patient populations. It should become standard procedure to screen for depression after stroke and TIA.” El Husseini adds that patients should be made aware of their increased risk for depression, “If they knew more about the association between depression, stroke and TIA, they may be more likely to bring up these symptoms with their providers,” El Husseini says.

Source: Duke University Medical Center