USA Today (6/20, Payne) reports, “A stroke may leave some survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], which may hinder their recovery, according to a study” published online yesterday in the journal PLoS One. Approximately “23% of patients who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack, a brief interruption of blood flow to the brain, have PTSD symptoms within a year, the study finds.” Approximately “11% have chronic PTSD, in which symptoms last three months or longer, more than a year later,” the study found.
The Los Angeles Times (6/20, Balukjian) “Science Now” blog reports that study lead author Donald Edmondson, PhD, MPH, “an assistant professor at Columbia University, previously established that PTSD is common among heart attack survivors and that it is linked to an increased risk of later developing heart disease. This led his team to question how often stroke victims develop PTSD.”
HealthDay (6/20, Gray) reports, “For the study, the researchers analyzed nine prior studies of stroke or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).” HealthDay Adds, “Together, the studies included more than 1,100 survivors who were either interviewed or given questionnaires.”
Related Links:
— “Nearly 1 in 4 stroke survivors develop PTSD, study shows, “Cathy Payne, USA Today, June 19, 2013.