A Study on Clinical Correlates of Poststroke Anxiety

Abstract

Objectives: Aim of our study is to determine the relation of age of stroke onset, gender, type of stroke, site of lesion and medical comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension with HAM-A scores in PSA. Materials and Methods: Present study was a hospital based cross sectional study conducted over 2 months that included 61 patients from neurology OPD of IMS and SUM Hospital, Bhubaneswar. Purposive sampling was done. The patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were first assessed using a semi structured proforma in order to obtain the socio-demographic data. Based on the clinical findings and using ICD 10-DCR criteria the 61 patients with CVA were segregated as stroke with anxiety disorder and without anxiety disorder. HAM-A and HAM-D scales were applied on both the groups. MRI findings were obtained. Results: There was significant difference on HAM-A (F=0.031, p=0.000) and HAM-D scores (F=4.453, p=0.039) between the two groups with PSA patients showing higher mean value as compared to non-anxiety stroke patients. There was no significant difference with respect to type of stroke (χ2=2.566; p=0.109), hemispherical involvement (χ2=2.621; p=0.270) and medical co-morbidities i.e. hypertension and type 2 DM between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the mean HAM-A scores across the two hemispheres (p= 0.384), types of stroke (p=0.605), and medical co-morbidities [hypertension (p=0.204); type 2 DM (p=0.965)] among PSA patients. Conclusion: In PSA patients the higher mean value of HAM-D in comparison to stroke patients without anxiety suggests that anxiety disorder in stroke survivors may be a predictor of impending depressive disorder. Age, gender, type of stroke and site of lesion do not show any correlation with PSA in our study in contrast to other studies which can be attributed to the sample size of this study.