Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Oct;41(5):753-760.
doi: 10.5535/arm.2017.41.5.753. Epub 2017 Oct 31.

Risk Factors and Functional Impact of Medical Complications in Stroke

Bo-Ram Kim  1 , Jongmin Lee  1 , Min Kyun Sohn  2 , Deog Young Kim  3 , Sam-Gyu Lee  4 , Yong-Il Shin  5 , Gyung-Jae Oh  6 , Yang-Soo Lee  7 , Min Cheol Joo  8 , Eun Young Han  9 , Yun-Hee Kim  10
Affiliations

Risk Factors and Functional Impact of Medical Complications in Stroke

Bo-Ram Kim et al. Ann Rehabil Med. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence and risk factors for medical complications in Korean patients suffering from stroke and the impact of such complications on post-stroke functional outcomes.

Methods: We assessed patients enrolled in a prospective cohort study. All recruited patients had suffered a first acute stroke episode and been admitted to nine university hospitals in Korea between August 2012 and June 2015. We analyzed patient and stroke characteristics, comorbidities, prevalence of post-stroke medical complications, and functional outcomes at time of discharge and 3, 6, and 12 months after stroke onset.

Results: Of 10,625 patients with acute stroke, 2,210 (20.8%) presented with medical complications including bladder dysfunction, bowel dysfunction, sleep disturbance, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection. In particular, complications occurred more frequently in older patients and in patients with hemorrhagic strokes, more co-morbidities, severe initial motor impairment, or poor swallowing function. In-hospital medical complications were significantly correlated with poor functional outcomes at all time points.

Conclusion: Post-stroke medical complications affect functional recovery. The majority of complications are preventable and treatable; therefore, the functional outcomes of patients with stroke can be improved by providing timely, appropriate care. Special care should be provided to elderly patients with comorbid risk factors.

Keywords: Cohort study; Functional recovery; Medical complication; Rehabilitation; Stroke.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Estimated means of Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores according to the number of complications after adjustment for age and Fugl–Meyer Assessment scores 7 days after stroke.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gresham GE, Duncan PW, Stason WB, Adams HP, Jr, Adelman AM, Alexander DN, et al. Post-stroke rehabilitation (Clinical Practice Guideline 16) Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services; 2004.
    1. Rathore SS, Hinn AR, Cooper LS, Tyroler HA, Rosamond WD. Characterization of incident stroke signs and symptoms: findings from the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. Stroke. 2002;33:2718–2721. - PubMed
    1. Doshi VS, Say JH, Young SH, Doraisamy P. Complications in stroke patients: a study carried out at the Rehabilitation Medicine Service, Changi General Hospital. Singapore Med J. 2003;44:643–652. - PubMed
    1. Dromerick A, Reding M. Medical and neurological complications during inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Stroke. 1994;25:358–361. - PubMed
    1. Langhorne P, Stott DJ, Robertson L, MacDonald J, Jones L, McAlpine C, et al. Medical complications after stroke: a multicenter study. Stroke. 2000;31:1223–1229. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources