Article

PURPOSE: To explore the long-term functional outcomes of stroke patients with
very mild severity at 6 months after stroke. This study presents the interim results of the Korean Stroke Cohort for Functioning and Rehabilitation.
On day 7, stroke evaluation was performed using the functional assessment battery
including the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS).
At 6 months
after stroke, functional outcomes using the face-to-face functional assessment
battery including Functional Independence Measure (FIM) were analyzed in the
patients who had a score of 0 on the NIHSS at 7 days after stroke onset. RESULTS:
In the very mild stroke group, 455 patients were followed up at 6 months. Out of
these patients, 11.0% had impairments in cognitive function, 14.1% had motor
impairment, and 2.1% had impairments in their mobility measured by the functional
assessment battery. At 6 months after onset, 3.3% of stroke survivors without
recurrence showed dependency according to the FIM. CONCLUSIONS: Many acute stroke
patients with mild stroke severity as assessed by the NIHSS had impairments in
various functional domains,
and could have been easily overlooked for intensive
rehabilitation therapy. Candidates for comprehensive rehabilitation therapy might
be better identified by the functional assessment battery. Implications for
rehabilitation Many acute stroke patients with mild stroke severity assessed by
NIHSS could be easily overlooked for intensive rehabilitation therapy. Candidates
for comprehensive rehabilitation therapy should be evaluated using a functional
assessment battery rather than the NIHSS.

Langue : ANGLAIS