Original scientific paper

Post-traumatic stress disorder and ischaemic stroke severity

Stela Rutović
Dragutin Kadojić
Silvio Bašić
Branko Malojčić

Abstract

Introduction: Although most often considered a consequence of a traumatic event, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs after illness as well. The aim of this study was to establish incidence of PTSD in patients with ischaemic stroke (IS) and its correlation to the degree of disability. Participants and Methods: The study included 161 patients with ischaemic stroke. PTSD was diag- nosed using a modified version of the PTSD Checklist specific for a stressor (PCL-S). Stroke severity was measured using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Demographic information including age and gender were collected from medical histories.
Results: Of the 161 patients with IS, 21 (13.04%) fulfilled PCL-S criteria for PTSD. We found a posi- tive correlation between PTSD and higher degree of disability (Mann Whitney U test, P<0.001). Conclusion: Our results show that a significant number of IS patients develop PTSD after the incident. Determining correlates of post-stroke PTSD can help to identify those at higher risk for its development. If proven by additional large sample studies, early detection and treatment of PTSD symptoms may improve outcomes in stroke patients.

Keywords

ischaemic stroke; posttraumatic stress disorder; disability

Hrčak ID:

248873

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/248873

Publication date:

15.12.2020.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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