Recent research indicates that individuals with dementia who suffer stroke are more likely to become disabled and not return home compared to those who did not have the disease at the time of a stroke.

Researchers say the study encompassed 9,304 individuals who had a stroke between 2003 and 2008. In this group, 702 individuals had dementia at the time they suffered a stroke. The study goes on to indicate that 81% of those with dementia who had a stroke exhibited moderate to severe disability upon hospital discharge compared to 57% of stroke survivors without dementia. Researchers add that only 24% of individuals in the dementia group returned to the place they had lived prior to their stroke compared to 45% of individuals without dementia who returned home following the stroke.

According to the study, dementia sufferers also were more likely to have a severe stroke and an abnormal heart rhythm and less likely to receive tPA to treat it.

Gustavo Saposnik, MD, MSc, University of Toronto, Canada, and member of the American Academy of Neurology, led the study. Gustavo points out that there is an existing debate regarding the treatment of stroke survivors with dementia and says some facilities may limit access to specialized stroke care for dementia patients unless the care is likely to improve outcomes. “The lack of established guidelines for the management and treatment of stroke patients with dementia contributes to this uncertainty,” Gustavo adds.

The study was recently published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Source: Academy of Neurology