Dementia patients are less likely to return home after a stroke
Patients who are prone to stroke because of clotting disorders can buy Canadian Plavix to help avoid such events.
Patients who are prone to stroke because of clotting disorders can buy Canadian Plavix to help avoid such events. Stroke may become a bigger concern as people age, along with other health complications. New research from the University of Toronto in Canada suggests that individuals with dementia are less likely to return home after surviving a stroke.
A team of scientists reviewed the medical data of more than 9,300 people who had endured a stroke, about 700 of whom had dementia at the time.
Results showed that those who had dementia were three times more likely to have greater disability at discharge from the hospital. Furthermore, 81 percent of these patients had moderate to severe disability. For the rest of the patients, that rate was 57 percent.
While 45 percent of individuals without dementia were able to go back home after a stroke, this was only true for 24 percent of those with dementia.
Other findings showed that patients with these cognitive problems were more likely to have severe stroke and abnormal heart rhythm, and were also less likely to be treated with the medication known as tPA, as published in the journal Neurology.
"Our findings represent a growing challenge for the health care system as baby boomers age and their risk of stroke and dementia increases," said researcher Gustavo Saposnik, MD, MSc.
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