A STUDY ON ASSESSING COMORBIDITY PATTERNS, PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN FIRST EVER ISCHEMIC STROKE

Agna Rino, Nalina S. Kaimal, Sona Joseph, *Mrs. Zuhara Mariyam

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study aims to assess association of comorbidities like hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia with outcomes of stroke such as functional independence and cognitive function. Methods: This cross-sectional study will be conducted in the Department of Neurology at a tertiary care hospital over six months. A total of 64 patients, aged 45-75 years who are newly diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke will be enrolled and divided into two groups- with at least one comorbidity and without any comorbidity. Patient demographic details, medical history, baseline BI and MoCA will be noted at the beginning of the study and during the follow- up. Result: The study revealed that ischemic stroke predominantly affected the older population with an average age of 63±8.7 years. In terms of gender, there was a slight male predominance (56.3%). Among the comorbidities, diabetes mellitus was the most common (42.2%. At baseline, the majority of patients showed moderate to high levels of independence. The follow-up indicated a reduction in severe disability among the patient population. The baseline mean MoCA score showed prevalent cognitive impairment. At follow- up, a notable improvement was observed. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that at baseline, the patients with comorbidities showed a higher percentage of severe dependence compared to those without. At follow- up, there was a notable improvement in both physical and cognitive function, owing to the impact of post-stroke rehabilitation and supportive care.

Keywords: Acute ischemic stroke, comorbidity, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, Barthel Index, Montreal cognitive assessment scale, physical dependence, cognitive impairment.