Abstract
BackgroundStroke complications can occur not only in the acute ward but also during the subsequent rehabilitation period. However, existing studies have not adequately addressed the incidence of various complications among stroke in patients undergoing rehabilitation using a longitudinal method. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal impact of age on complication rates in patients undergoing inpatient stroke rehabilitation at different disease stages.MethodsFive hundred and sixty-eight first-time stroke patients transferred to the rehabilitation ward between July 2002 and June 2012 were included in the study. Patients were stratified into age groups for comparison: <65 years (young), 65 years to <75 years (younger old), and ≥75 years (older old). In total, 30 different complication types were recorded for analysis.ResultsConstipation, shoulder pain, symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI), and fever were common complications during initial stay in the rehabilitation ward, and incidence was >10% in all three age groups. The frequency of incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) was higher in the younger old (17.9%) and older old (20.6%) groups than in the young group (4.1%) during initial stay in the rehabilitation ward (p < 0.001). The incidence of UGIB was higher in the younger old (8.04%) and older old (8.33%) groups than in the young group (0.19%) during subsequent stay in the rehabilitation ward (p = 0.011). The incidence of symptomatic UTI was higher in the younger old (21.0%) and older old (20.0%) groups than in the young group (11.5%) during initial stay in the rehabilitation ward (p = 0.019). The incidence of symptomatic UTI was higher in the older old group (29.17%) than in the younger old (9.21%) and young (3.14%) groups during subsequent stay in the rehabilitation ward (p < 0.001).ConclusionsAge does not affect every complication type. UGIB and symptomatic UTI occurred more frequently in stroke patients aged ≥65 years during their stay in the rehabilitation ward.
Highlights
Stroke complications can occur in the acute ward and during the subsequent rehabilitation period
Between July 2002 and June 2012, among 719 stroke patients hospitalized in the rehabilitation ward, we enrolled 568 who met the study criteria (283 males, 285 females; mean age at first-time stroke onset 65.71 ± 13.33 years; Table 1)
upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) and symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) were found to be the complications affected by age in both first and subsequent admissions to the rehabilitation ward
Summary
Stroke complications can occur in the acute ward and during the subsequent rehabilitation period. In Kuptniratsaikul’s study [3] that enrolled 327 patients with stroke from nine inpatient rehabilitation centers, age >60 years was not associated with complications. In a subsequent study [16] that followed 214 stroke patients during the first year after discharge from rehabilitation wards, age >60 years was found to be the only key factor associated with complications. Among elderly (age ≥65 years) inpatients with acute first-time stroke who underwent rehabilitation, older age was an important risk factor for predicting UGIB [17]. Another study [19] focusing on stroke patients aged ≥65 years revealed that older age was not a risk factor for the occurrence of infection among patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
