BackgroundPoststroke depression (PSD) is one of the most frequent and devastating neuropsychiatric consequences of stroke. The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and risk factors for PSD in a general hospital in Taiwan.MethodsOne hundred and one patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled initially, and 91 (90.1%) completed the 1-year study. Assessments were performed at baseline, and at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th month after enrolment. The definition of PSD was in accordance with the diagnostic criteria of major depressive episode in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV).ResultsThe accumulated incidence rates of PSD at the 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 9th, month were 4%, 8%, 9%, and 10%, respectively, and the overall incidence at 1 year was 11%. In multivariate regression analysis, female gender, higher depression score, and severity of stroke were significant risk factors. In subgroup analysis, a higher depression score was significantly associated with PSD, regardless of gender; however, stroke severity was a risk factor only in the female group.ConclusionThe 1-year incidence of PSD was 11%, based on the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. More attention should be paid to patients with more risk factors to enable earlier detection and intervention.

Poststroke depression (PSD) is one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric consequences of stroke. It has been shown to be associated with both impaired recovery and increased mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prophylactic effect of milnacipran in PSD. Ninety-two patients were enrolled in the 12 months of this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. The assessment was performed at baseline, and at the first, third, sixth, ninth and 12th month after enrollment. The definition of PSD was in accordance with the diagnostic criteria of major depressive episode based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth edition. Forty-six patients were randomized to the treatment group with milnacipran and another 46 patients to the placebo group. No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of sex (P=0.83), age (P=0.08), marital status (P=0.66), occupation (P=0.22), educational level (P=0.29), and drug side-effects (P=0.73). The incidence of depression in the two groups was 2.22% and 15.22%, respectively. Milnacipran was proved to have a statistically significant advantage in preventing PSD (P<0.05). In conclusion, milnacipran could prevent the development of depression in the first year following a stroke and is safe to use without significant adverse effects in stroke patients.

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Manifestations of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can range from self-limiting upper respiratory symptoms to various neurological complications, including speech and language impairment. But an association between Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and speech and language impairment has not been sufficiently explored. In this study, we aim to investigate the association between Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and subsequent speech and language impairment in a nationwide population-based sample using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. We identified 5,406 children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection (International Classification of Disease, Revision 9, Clinical Modification code 4830) and compared to 21,624 age-, sex-, urban- and income-matched controls on subsequent speech and language impairment. The mean follow-up interval for all subjects was 6.44 years (standard deviation = 2.42 years); the mean latency period between the initial Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and presence of speech and language impairment was 1.96 years (standard deviation = 1.64 years). The results showed that Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was significantly associated with greater incidence of speech and language impairment [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.23–1.80]. In addition, significantly increased hazard ratio of subsequent speech and language impairment in the groups younger than 6 years old and no significant difference in the groups over the age of 6 years were found (HR = 1.43, 95% CI:1.09–1.88 for age 0–3 years group; HR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.25–2.23 for age 4–5 years group; HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.54–2.39 for age 6–7 years group; and HR = 0.83, 95% CI:0.23–2.92 for age 8–18 years group). In conclusion, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is temporally associated with incident speech and language impairment.