Risk Factors for Post-Stroke Depression: A Comparative Study

Background: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the common emotional disorders associated with increased morbidity, mortality and strongest predictors for poor quality of life among stroke survivors. Aims: To find out the frequency and risk factors for PSD. Methods: A cross-sectional study, comparing stroke patients with and without depression, whoever was attending for follow up of three to twelve months’ post-stroke duration. The cases were divided into two groups: depression and non-depression according to DSM-V criteria for major depressive disorder. Disability was measured using modified Rankin scale (score 0 complete recovery, 5 worst). Logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for depression. Results: A total of 258 stroke cases were recruited and 95 (36.8%) had depression. Mean (SD) age of depressed and non-depressed cases were 57.97(12.64) and 58.1(15.1) years respectively. Logistic regression indicated that ischemic stroke [OR 2.03, 95% CI (1.00-4.11), p= 0.049], disability [OR 4.69, 95% CI (1.09 - 20.16), p = 0.038] and left cerebral hemisphere lesion [OR 4.86, 95% CI (1.19-15.95), p= 0.011] were the important risk factors for post stroke depression. Conclusions: In this study, we observed that nearly one-third stroke survivors had depression. Ischemic stroke type, having disability and left cerebral hemisphere lesion had strongest associations for the development of this depression. Future studies should explore the relationship for targeted prevention and treatment strategies. Bangladesh Med Res Counc Bull 2024; 50: 127-134