Cognitive problems and stroke risk

People with memory problems or other cognitive difficulties could be at a higher risk of having a stroke. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied thousands of people who were aged 45 and over at the start of the study. At the outset of the study 14,842 people took a verbal fluency test and 17,851 took a word-recall memory test. The participants were then followed-up by phone for up to five years to see whether they had had a stroke. Those who scored in the bottom 20% for verbal fluency were 3.6 times more likely to develop a stroke than those who scored in the top 20% while those who were in the top 20% on the memory test were 3.5 times more likely to have a stroke than those in the bottom 20%.

Antidepressants and stroke risk

Middle-aged women who take antidepressants may be at an increased risk of stroke. Researchers from Harvard Medical School compared six years' worth of data on 5,500 postmenopausal women who took the drugs with 130,000 people who did not take them. Women taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had a 45% increase in their risk of stroke and a 32% increase in risk of death from any cause and similar results were found for women taking tricyclic antidepressants. However, the overall risk of any one individual suffering a stroke remained very small - 0.3% in a year for women not taking the drugs and 0.4-0.5% for those taking them. The authors of the study advised people to take other steps to reduce their stroke risk such as losing weight, lowering their blood pressure and stopping smoking rather than running the risk of depression which itself can have adverse consequences on physical health. You can find out more about this research at http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=124399&cn=5

Depression and stroke

Researchers at the University of Toronto have been reviewing 56 studies into stroke and depression covering a total of 75,000 people. They found that a third of people developed depression after a stroke and that women were more at risk than men. The researchers pointed out that depression is often seen as a natural reaction to stroke whereas most people do not develop it and it can be treated. This is important as the study also found that post-stroke depression was associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased risk of death.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110210509.htm

Psychosocial therapy for stroke victims

A third of people who have had a stroke develop clinical depression. This can hinder their recovery, worsen cognitive functioning and impair social functioning. Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle studied 101 people who had had a stroke and been diagnosed with clinical depression. Some received a combination of psychosocial therapy and antidepressants while others received 'treatment-as-usual' which included antidepressants. After eight weeks those participants receiving the psychosocial therapy - nine one-to-one sessions with a nurse covering topics such as how to increase pleasant events, problem-solving and identifying and modifying negative thoughts - showed a 47% reduction in their depression 'scores' compared to a 32% reduction in the treatment-as-usual group.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=news&id=121148&cn=5

Improving attention in stroke victims

People who have had strokes often have difficulty concentrating. More than half of all stroke victims have this problem which can lead to falls and injuries. Researchers from the University of Auckland in New Zealand wanted to see if a training programme already used in people with traumatic brain injuries could help. The programme called Attention Process Training involves a psychologist guiding patients through a mental workout in which they practice sustaining their attention and focusing on more than one thing at a time. The researchers studied 78 stroke patients, half of whom got regular rehab and half of whom received 14 hours of Attention Process Training. Those who received the training did better on tests of attention and the training was found to have a "highly positive effect."

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE56M6R220090723?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews