Objectives: Patients who are victims of a mild stroke are vulnerable to several invisible and neglected neurological sequelae. In parallel, it is known that fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms are common complications after a stroke in general. Our aim was to describe the prevalence and the factors associated with these two outcomes after a minor stroke.
Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study that included consecutive patients diagnosed with minor ischemic stroke between 2015 and 2019. Minor stroke was defined as NIHSS < 4 and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) < 2. Patients were followed for 12 months after the index stroke. The primary endpoints included fatigue and neuropsychiatric impairment, which were evaluated with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), respectively.
Results: A total of sixty patients were followed in our cohort. The mean age was 53.0 (SD 15.0) and 51.7% were male. There were 32 (53.3%) and 25 (41.7%) patients who developed PSF and post-stroke neuropsychiatric symptoms, respectively. The use of antidepressants and statins were associated with post-stroke fatigue, while women and younger patients were more likely to develop neuropsychiatric symptoms after the stroke (p < 0.05). Eighteen (30.0%) patients were diagnosed with both post-stroke fatigue and psychiatric disorders.
Conclusions: Post-stroke fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms are prevalent in minor stroke and should be independently addressed as a part of the recovery goal.
Keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Fatigue; Mild stroke; Outcomes; Stroke.
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