Predictors and short-term outcomes of post-stroke fatigue in initial phase of transition from hospital to home: A prospective observational study.
Ya Su, Mitsuko Asamoto, Michiko Yuki and 5 others
PMID 33368578WHAT IT FOUND
Fatigue in the acute phase, within 2 weeks of admission, predicted fatigue one month after discharge.
Persistent fatigue was associated with depression, insomnia, sarcopenia risk, and lower quality of life, but this study did not test treatment.
Key findings
01Post-stroke fatigue was present in 25.5% of patients in the acute phase and 29.8% at 1 month after discharge.
02Only the acute-phase Fatigue Assessment Scale score (β = 0.64, p < 0.001) was significantly associated with higher fatigue after discharge home.
03Persistent post-stroke fatigue was associated with depression (31% versus 5%), insomnia (81% versus 24%), sarcopenia risk (44% versus 9%), higher SARC-F scores (3 versus 1), and lower quality of life scores (PCS 43 versus 51; MCS 45 versus 51).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Of 171 stroke patients recruited, 104 consented and 94 had complete follow-up. The study excluded patients with severe paralysis, severe aphasia, communication difficulties, or inability to respond to questionnaires, so severe stroke cases may be missing. No direct stroke severity measure, such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, was recorded. Sarcopenia was assessed only with the self-reported SARC-F questionnaire, which may be affected by recall bias. The sample size was small, especially for sarcopenia analyses. The study was single-centre and observational, so it cannot show that treating one factor changes another.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The research was supported by the Yuumi Memorial Foundation for Home Health Care.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that treating fatigue, depression, insomnia, or sarcopenia risk will prevent later post-stroke fatigue or poor outcomes. The study observed patients over time and did not test any intervention.