Impacts of rehabilitative therapy on post-stroke depression and the ability of daily life

Shuzhi FENG; Mingyi ZHANG; Zhihua DAI

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Post-stroke depression(PSD) is the most common emotional change after stroke. It has high morbidity, which also seriously affects the near and long term functional prognosis of the patients and affects the quality of life (QOL) of the patients during convalescence.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the impacts of integrated rehabilitative therapy on post-stroke depression and ability of daily life(ADL) through interventional therapy in patients with post-stroke depression.

DESIGN:

A randomized controlled study with the patients as subjects basedon diagnosis.

SETTING:

Department of cadre in a university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS:

Sixty cases including 34 males and 26 females hospitalized in the Department of Cadre of the General Hospital Affiliated to Tianjing Medical University between October 2001 and March 2002 were randomly divided into rehabilitation group( n = 30) and control group( n = 30).

INTERVENTIONS:

Patients of rehabilitation group received both routine medication and integrated rehabilitative therapy (cinesiotherapy + psychotherapy) while the patients of control group only received routine medication(decompression, improving cerebral circulation and symptomatic therapy) . Barthel index(BI) and Hamilton rating scale for depression(HAMD)were used to assess the patients at admission, the 3rd month and the 6th month during the course of the disease.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

BI and HAMD score at the 3rd and 6thmonth in patients of rehabilitation group and control group.

RESULTS:

BI at 3rd month or 6th month was (68.0 ± 2.9) or (70.0 ± 3.5)in patients of rehabilitation group, which was significantly higher than (62.0±3.3) at 3rd month and (65.0±3.8) at 6th month in patients of control group( P ＜ 0. 001, 0. 01) . HAMD score at 3rd month or 6th month was(8.9 ±4.9) or(8.7 ±5.1) in patients of rehabilitation group, which was significantly lower than(15.2 ±5.6) at 3rd month or(14. 9 ±8. 1) at 6th month in patients of control group ( P ＜ 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Integrated rehabilitative therapy can effectively improve the ADL of patients with post-stroke depression and relieve depression.