Men who live alone run a greater risk of dying prematurely after stroke
As part of the Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke (SAHLSIS), Petra Redfors examined the long-term prognosis for 1,090 victims of ischemic stroke before the age of 70 and compared the results with 600 controls.
Excess mortality
According to her findings, 36% of patients who were living alone, as opposed to 17% of those with partners, died within 12 years after stroke. Among men, the gap widened to 44% vs. 14%.
Excess mortality associated with living alone was still found after adjusting for physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, low educational level and other known risk factors.
“Among the conceivable causes are that people who live alone lead less healthy lives, are less prone to take their medication and tend to wait longer before going to the emergency room,” Dr. Redfors says. “For the healthy controls, excess mortality was also greater among men, particularly those living alone.”
Multiple risk
Etiology played a key role as well— having had a stroke due to large vessel disease, a blood clot from the heart or diabetes was an additional risk factor.
The thesis demonstrates that stroke victims faced 10 times as great a risk of recurrence within 12 years as healthy controls. The risk of myocardial infarction was twice as much.
“The pattern of excess mortality among people who live alone showed up here as well,” Dr. Redfors says. “Among the other risk factors for recurrence were the severity of the original event, along with diabetes or coronary artery disease. Physical inactivity increased the risk of cardiac infarction after stroke.”
Long-term cognitive loss
The thesis also found that a large percentage of stroke victims were still experiencing memory, concentration, cognitive and other loss at 7-year follow-up. Because many of them are of working age, the personal and social impact is enormous.
“Our results underscore the importance of intensive, long-term prevention among stroke patients, including medication for hypertension, diabetes and other underlying conditions, along with lifestyle changes,” Dr. Redfors says. “Above all, serious consideration needs to be given to providing greater support and more thorough information for patients who are living alone.”
The thesis Long-term Post-stroke Outcome – the Sahlgrenska Academy Study on Ischemic Stroke was defended on November 28.
Link to thesis: https://gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/36739
Contact:
Petra Redfors, Neurologist and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg
Cell: +46 70-415 4970
Office: +46 31-426 663
redfors@gmail.com
Christina Jern, Professor, Principal Supervisor, Cell: +46 709-831 616, christina.jern@neuro.gu.se
http://sahlgrenska.gu.se/english/news_and_events/news/News_Detail/men-who-live-a…
Media Contact
All latest news from the category: Studies and Analyses
innovations-report maintains a wealth of in-depth studies and analyses from a variety of subject areas including business and finance, medicine and pharmacology, ecology and the environment, energy, communications and media, transportation, work, family and leisure.
Newest articles
NASA: Mystery of life’s handedness deepens
The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a NASA-funded discovery that RNA — a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for…
What are the effects of historic lithium mining on water quality?
Study reveals low levels of common contaminants but high levels of other elements in waters associated with an abandoned lithium mine. Lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium…
Quantum-inspired design boosts efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion
Rice engineers take unconventional route to improving thermophotovoltaic systems. Researchers at Rice University have found a new way to improve a key element of thermophotovoltaic (TPV) systems, which convert heat…