Researchers in Finland have identified risk factors common in poststroke dementia, a finding they hope will help distinguish between Alzheimer disease and stroke-related memory loss and confusion.
Their study, published last month in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, is the largest to examine risk factors for poststroke dementia. It included 337 people aged 55 to 85 years who were evaluated with memory function tests and other psychological tests 3 months after having a stroke. Stroke dementia was present in 32% of the group.
The strongest risk factors were dysphasia, major dominant stroke syndrome, and prior stroke, said Timo Erkinjuntti, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and director of the Helsinki Stroke Aging Memory Study conducted at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Other characteristics associated with dementia were left hemispheric stroke, walking impairment, and urinary incontinence.
"By defining a stroke-dementia patient's profile, we may . . . [Full Text of this Article]
