Background and Purpose - Results of hospital-based studies indicate a high risk of cognitive impairment 3 months after stroke. There are no comprehensive data on this issue from prospective community-based studies comparing first-ever stroke patients with stroke-free subjects. Methods - We administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery to 99 community-based nonaphasic survivors of first-ever stroke at 3 months and 99 age- and sex-matched (1:1) stroke-free individuals. Domain-specific cognitive deficits were identified by blinded neuropsychological consensus. Methods - Stroke patients were more likely to suffer any cognitive impairment (relative risk [RR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.1) attributable mainly to a greater risk of single-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.5 to 5.3) but not multiple-domain cognitive impairment (RR, 1.2; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.9). Conclusions - In this community-based study, a first-ever stroke of mild to moderate severity was associated with a significant risk of cognitive impairment at 3 months, even in the absence of clinical aphasia. This was due primarily to an increased risk of solitary deficits rather than generalized deficits.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Clinical Sciences
Research Field:	Geriatrics and Gerontology
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Other Health
Objective Field:	Health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Srikanth, V (Dr Velandai Srikanth)
ID Code:	29583
Year Published:	2003
Web of Science® Times Cited:	63
Deposited By:	Menzies Centre
Deposited On:	2004-08-04
Last Modified:	2004-08-04
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