Characteristics of Cognitive Status in Sub-Population of Sub-Acute Stage of Ischemic Stroke Patients in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

Abstract

Cognitive decline is a significant complication that affects most stroke survivors. Early detection of cognitive decline in ischemic stroke patients and identification of risk factors improves their clinical outcomes. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of cognitive status in the sub-acute phase of ischemic stroke. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 89 sub-acute ischemic stroke patients in three hospitals in West Nusa Tenggara recruited consecutively from August 2019 to April 2020. The data collected were demographic and clinical characteristics, cognitive status, and functional outcome. The association between clinical and demographic characteristics and cognitive decline was analyzed using logistic regression. In addition, the relationship between cognitive status and functional outcomes of these patients was examined using the chi-square test. This study revealed that the prevalence of cognitive decline in these subjects was 71.9%. Multiple logistic regression showed that age was the only characteristic associated with cognitive decline in the subjects (OR = 5.12,95% CI = 1.08-24.28). Furthermore, the frequency of cognitive decline in these subjects was significantly associated with functional outcomes (p-value =0.014). Thus, there was a high prevalence of cognitive decline in sub-acute ischemic stroke patients associated with increasing age and poor functional outcomes.