Affective disorders in patients with the cerebral stroke

To determine the effect of anxiety, depression, fatigue and drowsiness on the dynamics of neurological disorders in the acute period of stroke. The study involved 56 patients (28 women and 28 men), the average age was 62.3 ± 9.7 years. The severity of neurological deficit and affective disorders was assessed according to the scales: NIHSS, Barthel, Rankin, Rivermead, HADS, ESS, FSS, and FIS. The assessment was carried out at the admission and at the discharge. A decrease in neurological deficit and in the level of anxiety and depression was observed (NIHSS 5.1 ± 3.9 → 2.2 ± 1.8, p <0.001, Barthel 61.9 ± 20.7 → 89.9 ± 11.2, p <0.001, Rankin 3,05 ± 0.94 → 1.73 ± 0.82, p <0.001, Rivermead 5.8 ± 3.5 → 11.6 ± 3.1, p <0.001, HADS anxiety : 6.1 ± 4.2 → 5.3 ± 3.9, p = 0.024; HADS depression: 5.6 ± 3.2 → 4.9 ± 3.1, p = 0.009). A decrease in the level of anxiety, depression and drowsiness in the men group reached statistical significance (p = 0.048, p = 0.014, p = 0.027). The combined effect of anxiety and depression on the severity of neurological deficit was revealed (p = 0.014) during analysis of variance. Patients in the acute period of stroke showed an improvement in neurological functions, a decrease in the severity of affective disorders (especially in men). The degree of regression of neurological disorders depends on the level of depression and anxiety.