Depression After Stroke More Common in Women Than in Men

by Rajshri on  November 13, 2009 at 8:25 PM Mental Health News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
A large review of studies has revealed that women are more likely to suffer from depression after stroke than men.

ost-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death.

In the systematic review, which appears in the November-December issue of the journal Psychosomatics, Brittany Poynter, M.D., and colleagues from the University of Toronto looked at 56 studies on stroke and depression comprising more than 75,000 people, about 12,000 of them women. The time between the stroke and onset of depression ranged from less than two weeks to 15 years.

In women, rates of post-stroke depression ranged from about 6 percent to 78 percent, while in men depression rates ranged from 4.7 percent to about 65 percent.

These findings are important, Poynter said, because women who have had a stroke generally do more poorly than men. They tend to have higher rates of disability and longer hospitalization times. The authors say this might be due in part to higher rates of depression. In addition, "women may have less access to care," Poynter said.

"People think of stroke as a 'male' disease - and it is slightly more common in men -but because it increases with age, more women end up having strokes because they live longer," said Linda S. Williams, M.D., chief of neurology at the Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis. She is not associated with the review.

Page 1 Page 1 | 2  Next
 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X

Medwonders Health Network

  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
Quiz on Depression
Depressed people talk of suicide. Should you press the panic button or seek medical help? What are the symptoms of depression? Why do we get depressed? To find out take this quiz on depression.
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Depression
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Men's Health Center

Mental Health Related News

» Improvement Of Physical Self By Training The Brain » Conquering Arachnophobia
» Simple 10-Min Test to Diagnose Alzheimer's Disease and Prevent Severe Brain Damage » Study Finds Drop in PTSD Incidence Among Troops
» Link Between Cellular Metabolism and Anxiety Disorders » Winter Born may Have Greater Risk of Developing Mental Disorders
» Study Reveals A Walk in the Park can Give Mental Boost to People With Depression » New Therapy To Treat Depression
Read More >>