Clinical Risk Factors that Predict Functional Recovery in Ischemic Stroke Patients with Pre-Stroke Depression

Background: Specific clinical risk factors that may be associated with ambulatory outcome following thrombolysis therapy in ischemic stroke patients with pre-stroke depression is not fully understood. This was investigated. Methods. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of functional ambulatory outcomes. Patient demographics and clinical risk factors served as predictive variables, while improvement or no improvement in ambulatory outcome was considered as the primary outcome. Results. A total of 595 of these patients received rtPA of which 310 patients presented with pre-stroke depression, 217 had no improvement in functional outcome, while 93 patients presented with an improvement in functional outcome. Carotid artery stenosis (OR= 11.577, 95% CI, 1.281 – 104.636, P=0.029) and peripheral vascular disease (OR= 18.040, 95% CI, 2.956-110.086, P=0.002) were more likely to be associated with an improvement in ambulation. Antihypertensive medications (OR= 7.810, 95% CI, 1.401 –43.529, P=0.019),previous TIA (OR= 0.444, 95% CI, 0.517 –0.971, P=0.012), and congestive heart failure (OR= 0.217, 95% CI, 0.318 –0.402, P=0.030) were associated with a no improvement in ambulation. Conclusion. After adjustment for covariates, more clinical risk factors were associated with no improvement when compared with improvement in functional outcome following thrombolysis therapy in an acute ischemic stroke population with pre-stroke depression.