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White matter hyperintensities and quality of life in acute lacunar stroke

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Abstract

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are common in stroke. The influence of WMH on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following a lacunar stroke is unknown. This study evaluated the impact of WMH on HRQoL in acute lacunar stroke. A cohort of 160 patients with acute lacunar stroke admitted to the stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong was recruited. Three months after the index stroke, a research assistant administered the Short Form-36 (SF-36) to assess HRQoL. The severity of WMH was evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In univariate analysis, the severity of deep WMH (DWMH) negatively correlated with patients’ vitality (VT; p < 0.05), social function (SF; p < 0.001), role-emotional (RE; p < 0.01), mental health (MH; p < 0.01), and mental component summary (MCS; p < 0.001) scores of HRQoL. DWMH was independently associated with all of the above five SF-36 scores (p < 0.05) in linear regression analysis. These findings suggest that DWMH has a significant impact on the HRQoL of stroke survivors. The importance of DWMH in the long-term HRQoL in lacunar stroke warrants further investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    W. K. Tang & H. J. Liang

  2. Department of Neurology, Dongguan People’s Hospital, Dongguan, Guangdong, China

    Y. K. Chen

  3. Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    A. T. Ahuja & Winnie C. W. Chu

  4. Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    V. C. T. Mok & K. S. Wong

  5. University of Notre Dame/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia

    Gabor S. Ungvari

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  1. W. K. Tang
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  2. H. J. Liang
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  3. Y. K. Chen
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  4. A. T. Ahuja
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  5. Winnie C. W. Chu
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  6. V. C. T. Mok
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Correspondence to W. K. Tang.

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Tang, W.K., Liang, H.J., Chen, Y.K. et al. White matter hyperintensities and quality of life in acute lacunar stroke. Neurol Sci 34, 1347–1353 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1267-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-012-1267-7

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