Determinants of long-term health-related quality of life in young ischemic stroke patients.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess long-term, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a young ischemic stroke cohort, and to identify factors associated with poor HRQOL. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a survey with ischemic stroke survivors in Estonia aged 18-54 years at the time of stroke, measuring HRQOL with the three-level version of the five-dimension EuroQol (EQ-5D-3L). The control group comprised the participants of the Health Behavior among Estonian Adult Population study. A tobit regression model with a backward stepwise analysis was used to identify factors associated with low EQ-5D-3L utility scores. RESULTS In total, 352 patients with a mean follow-up time from the qualifying event of 5.7 years and 2304 controls were included. The mean EQ-5D-3L utility score in stroke survivors was significantly lower compared with that in the general population (0.71 vs. 0.87, respectively, p<0.001). However, the subgroup with excellent functional outcome had a significantly higher mean EQ-5D-3L utility score compared with non-stroke counterparts (0.91 v 0.87, respectively, p<0.001). The largest differences between stroke survivors and the general population were in the physical domains. Coronary heart disease at the index event, and higher follow-up duration, functional disability, depressive symptoms, recurrent stroke, and not being fully employed at follow-up, were independently associated with lower HRQOL. CONCLUSION Young ischemic stroke survivors have long-term decreased HRQOL, except for those with excellent functional recovery. Our results prioritize motor rehabilitation and highlight the importance of secondary prevention, treatment of depression, and career counselling as potential ways of increasing HRQOL.