First-ever ischemic stroke in Taiwanese elderly patients: predicting functional independence after a 6-month follow-up

Abstract The incidence of ischemic stroke increases with age, and it has a great impact on patients' functional independence. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical features, laboratory findings, and stroke subtypes in different age subgroups and identify the predictive factors for functional independence 6 months after stroke. A total of 533 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two subgroups: more than 80 years old (n = 108) and less than 80 years old (n = 425). Patients aged 80 years or over had higher frequencies of heart disease and atrial fibrillation, and lower frequencies of dyslipidemia, alcohol drinking, and a family history of ischemic stroke. Significantly lower body mass index, serum albumin levels, and lipid profiles, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels, but higher severity of initial neurologic deficit, and higher rates of mortality and complications during hospitalization were noted in patients aged over 80 years. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher serum total cholesterol level, less severity of neurologic deficit at admission, and absence of a history of diabetes mellitus were predictive of functional independence 6 months after stroke.