What are the long term outcomes following stroke?

Despite the recognition of stroke as a major contributor to disability and mortality worldwide, little is known about the long-term outcomes among individuals who survive a stroke. In a research study reported by Charles Wolfe from King's College London and colleagues, the researchers examine outcomes for up to ten years in a cohort of people surviving their first-ever stroke in an inner city area of London, UK.

The researchers show that this cohort of stroke survivors experience ongoing poor outcomes in the long term, with high levels of disability experienced immediately post stroke but with a sizeable proportion of survivors experiencing moderate to severe disability up to ten years after their first stroke. These outcomes are important for planning services and long-term management strategies for those who experience a stroke.

The authors highlight that their study "not only provides population estimates, to our knowledge for the first time, on the longer term outcomes in a diverse inner city population but highlights that stroke is truly a lifelong condition among survivors with ongoing poor outcomes".