Objective-To study the clinical features of leuko-araiosis. Methods-Age matched groups of patients with a CT finding of pure leukoaraiosis (n = 26) and a control group with a normal CT finding (n = 26) were formed (mean ages 78*6 (SD 3.3) v 76 5 (SD 4.6) years; NS).Results-Dementia, vascular dementia, central brain atrophy on CT, disability in activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, urinary incontinence, gait disorder (assistance needed), personality change, and night time confusion were found to be more commonly present in leuko-araiosis positive patients than in controls, whereas focal neurological symptoms and signs were not associated with leuko-araiosis. The occurrences of heart failure and systolic hypotensionbut not hypertension-were higher in the leuko-araiosis positive group than in the controls. Leuko-araiosis was also found to be related to a less sudden onset of symptoms and a lower Hachinski score than true brain infarction(s). Conclusions-Leuko-araiosis on CT in these elderly patients seems to be a vascular disorder aetiologically different from brain infarction, with clinical manifestations of subtle onset and general disabling nature and no prominent focal neurological signs or symptoms.

LAY ABSTRACTThis study compared short generic International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)based measures of functioning, the patient-and proxyreported 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) and the 7-item WHO Minimal Generic Set of domains of functioning and health assessed by a neurologist, with traditionally used measures of stroke in the subacute phase. Although proxies rated 6 out of 12 separate WHODAS functions more impaired than did the patients, the scores of patient-and proxy-reported WHODAS 2.0 and the WHO Minimal Generic Set correlated well with each other and with older measures of stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) and dependence (modified Rankin Scale and Functional Independence Measure). Both ICF-based tools, despite their brevity, were useful in finding disabilities for patient-and family-centred goal-setting and service-planning after subacute stroke rehabilitation. Objective: To compare short generic International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)-based measures of functioning with traditional measures of stroke severity and dependence in subacute stroke. Methods: In this cross-sectional study patients with stroke (n = 195) and their significant others completed the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) at discharge from rehabilitation. A neurologist assessed functioning with the 7-item World Health Organization (WHO) Minimal Generic Set of domains of functioning and health. These scores were compared with assessments of severity of stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; NIHSS) and dependence (modified Rankin Scale; mRS; and Functional Independence Measure; FIM).Results: From mild to severe stroke, increasing disability was found in single items and sum scores of WHODAS and the WHO Minimal Generic Set. Although proxies rated 6 out of the 12 separate WHO-DAS functions more impaired than did the patients, correlations between the different measures (proxyand patient-WHODAS, the WHO Minimal Generic Set, mRS, NIHSS and FIM total and sub-scores) were strong to very strong, except for moderate correlations between patient-WHODAS, and NIHSS or FIM cognitive sub-score. Conclusion: Despite their brevity, both generic ICFbased tools were useful in finding disabilities for patient-and family-centred goal-setting and serviceplanning after subacute rehabilitation.

Both generic measures were able to detect severe disability but also to detect differences between two patient populations with different underlying diagnoses.

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