Stroke Survivors’ Anxiety Is Often Missed, Study Says

One in four stroke survivors suffers from anxiety that often goes undiagnosed by physicians, or if recognized is treated with the wrong drugs, according to a new study.

The illness, called General Anxiety disorder, or GAD, is characterized by excessive anxiety, worry, motor tension, vigilance and “autonomic hyperactivity” (shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat and dizziness).

As stroke survivors struggle to conquer their physical disabilities, many also must cope with psychosocial problems that can follow.

But these symptoms often are given little attention, said Dr. Monica Astrom, assistant professor and consultant of the University Hospital in Umea, Sweden, and author of the study reported in the February issue of the American Heart Assn. journal Stroke.

Occurring more often among stroke survivors who live at home, General Anxiety Disorder was found to last up to three years in many stroke patients.

“Contrary to the traditional view that GAD is a mild disorder, we found it had a substantial influence on social relationships and functional recovery,” Astrom said. She called for active treatment efforts to combat the disorder.

The numbers are compelling, said Dr. David Baskin, a professor of neurosurgery and anesthesiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, who also works with acute stroke victims and spinal cord injuries.

The study showed that GAD was diagnosed in 31% of the 80 stroke patients at three months after stroke, 24% at one year and 19% at three years. About two-thirds of the patients who had GAD also had suffered from depression.

The trend continued after three years. Of 48 stroke patients assessed after three years, nine had GAD. None of the nine had met a friend or relative other than their children in the previous week, compared with 24 of the 39 patients without GAD.