Socioeconomic Code for Stroke Recovery

Likelihood of experiencing subpar recovery is twice faced by stroke survivors residing in regions with high unemployment, low income, inadequate education, and poor housing quality as compared to those in more favorable conditions as per a study published in the journal 'American Stroke Association' (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
American Heart Association

Go to source). The researchers found that among 2,164 people with ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, the one-year unadjusted risk of poor outcomes was 35 percent, 40 percent, and 46 percent for patients residing in neighborhoods with low, intermediate, and high deprivation, respectively.

“Although stroke patients from differing socioeconomic backgrounds often have similar functional status at discharge, outcomes can vary dramatically a year later," said Leah Kleinberg, BA, a postgraduate clinical research associate at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, US.

"As a clinical research associate, I get to interact with them far beyond the completion of their urgent treatment, which sparked my interest in exploring the long-term outcomes for these patients,” she added.

Impact on Stroke Survivors' Recovery

In this study, researchers used data from Yale’s Longitudinal Study of Acute Brain Injury and Area Deprivation Index (ADI) rates for the 2020 US Census blocks to compare outcomes among stroke survivors by socioeconomic disadvantage factors.

After considering the inability of the ADI to specifically measure each level of deprivation, the researchers discovered that those living in intermediate and high deprivation areas had 44 percent and 107 percent greater risk, respectively, of unfavorable outcomes, compared to patients living in neighborhoods with low deprivation levels.

Patients with poor outcomes were unable to manage their affairs without assistance and needed some assistance in daily activities.

Patients with good outcomes were able to live independently, although some still had residual symptoms, the researchers noted.

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“We hope this study will help promote awareness of how social determinants of health are as important as clinical variables and health information when trying to identify patients who are particularly high risk for poor long-term outcomes,” Kleinberg said.

Reference:

1. American Heart Association - (https://www.ahajournals.org/)

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