Background: Stroke survivors often have impaired quality of live (QOL). There is very little information about the determining factors of QOL of stroke survivors in developing countries managed in public health structures with limited access to state of the art treatments.
Objective: To identify the main determinants of QOL in Tunisian stroke survivors.
Methods: QOL was assessed at 3, 6 and 12 months after the stroke using the Tunisian version of the SF-36 questionnaire. Patients were evaluated using the National Institue of Health Stroke Scale, the motor index of Demeurisse, the Functional Independence Measure instrument, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index, the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Results: 65 stroke survivors were included (60% males; mean age 62.2±10.3 years). Eighty-sex percent of the patients had an ischemic infarction. Most of the stroke patients had minor or moderate stroke. All the QOL dimensions were altered at 3 months post stroke. Between the 3 and 6-months follow-ups, there were significant changes in the SF-36 scores and individual domains but QOL remained altered. Between 6 and 12 months, there were no significant changes in the majority of the SF-36 domains. Advanced age, neurologic impairment, depression and disability measured 1 month after stroke, the stroke side (left hemisphere), the life style, and higher education, were associated with worse QOL.
Conclusions: Stroke severity, advanced age, post-stroke depression and disability seem to represent consistent determinants of QOL in Tunisian stroke patients.
Keywords: Lower middle income country; Predictive factors; Quality of Life; Stroke.
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