The incidence of post-stroke depression and anxiety and its related factors

Objective To study the incidence of depression and anxiety after stroke and analyze its related factors for providing reference to treatment. Methods A total of 158 patients after acute stroke were selected during March 2002 to March 2003. Among them there were 135 cerebral infarction patients and 23 cerebral hemorrhage patients. All patients were assessed with the scale of self-rating depression scale (SDS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), activities of daily living scale (ADL), clock draw test (CDT), and mini-mental state examine (MMSE). It is defined as impairment of activity of daily life with ADL 26, dysfunction of cognation with CDT ≤ 3, MMSE differed from various education level, the lower the score, the severe the cognitive impairment. When SDS or SAS 50 was considered as mild depresstion and anxiety, and while SDS or SAS 60 was considered as severe depresstion. Results Among 158 patients, the incidence of post-stroke depression was 36.1%, classified as mild depression (n=17, 10.76%), severe depression (n=12, 7.60%), anxiety (n=28, 17.72%), both depression and anxiety (n=21, 13.29%). The incidence of MMSE, ADL, CDT impairment in 57 patients with depression and anxiety was higher (57.89%, 42.11%, 66.67%) than that in patients without depression and anxiety (35.64%, 29.70%, 46.53%). It was revealed by multiple regression analysis that depression was not correlated with sex, age and the times of stroke, but correlated with the severity of hemiplegia, and it could affect the cognitive function. Conclusion The psychophysiological dysfunction e.g. depression and anxiety frequeutly occurred during recovery in patients with stroke, both depression and anxiety are occurred in some patients. The fatality, survival quality, life satisfactory degree and psychological healthy are influenced in much extent by depression and anxiety.