Determinants of disease-specific health-related quality of life in Turkish stroke survivors

Stroke is a worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality that affects health-related quality of life. In this study, our objective was to identify determinants of disease-specific health-related quality of life in Turkish stroke survivors. A total of 114 consecutive patients who experienced a stroke at least 6 months earlier were studied. Health-related quality of life was measured using Stroke-specific Quality of Life (SS-QoL) consisting of 12 domains. Demographic and clinical data were collected, including age, sex, marital status, years of education, time since stroke, whether the patient received rehabilitation before enrollment, stroke etiology, whether the dominant hand was affected or not, presence of vision defect, neglect, aphasia, and dysarthria. The patients were assessed by the functional independence measure (FIM) and the Mini-Mental State Examination. A multiple linear regression analysis was carried out using a stepwise method to determine the predictors of 12 domains and the total score of the SS-QoL. The domains of work, social roles, mobility, and self-care had the lowest SS-QoL scores, whereas the highest scores were for the domains of personality, thinking, language, and vision. The total SS-QoL score was explained by the total FIM and Mini-Mental State Examination. Among the 12 domains, the mobility domain was explained the best (R-2=0.50) by motor FIM, previously received rehabilitation, and age, followed by the language domain (R-2=0.37) explained by the presence of aphasia and dysarthria, and previously received rehabilitation. The domains of mood (R-2=0.13) and upper extremity (R-2=0.19) were explained the worst. The results indicated that functional independence, age, cognitive status, and receiving a rehabilitation program were the primary determinants of the SS-QoL. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.