Open AccessClinical and functional characteristics of women after stroke, fallers and non-fallers: a longitudinal study
Author(s) -
Erika Pedreira da Fonseca,
Maria Brito Alves,
Moema Guimarães,
Maria Eduarda Salgado Carvalho,
Elen Beatriz Pinto
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
revista de pesquisa em fisioterapia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2238-2704
DOI - 10.17267/2238-2704rpf.v11i4.4150
Subject(s) - medicine , stroke (engine) , barthel index , activities of daily living , fear of falling , physical therapy , longitudinal study , quality of life (healthcare) , gait , falling (accident) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , prospective cohort study , injury prevention , poison control , emergency medicine , psychiatry , mechanical engineering , nursing , pathology , engineering
BACKGROUND: Occurrence of falls is among the most frequent complications presented by the elderly and individuals with neurological diseases. It is known that in the elderly, there is a greater frequency of falls in women. However, in individuals after stroke, this relationship is not established. The purpose of this study was to differentiate the clinical and functional characteristics of fallers and non-fallers women after stroke and to verify the association between functional mobility and functional capacity in these women. DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a longitudinal prospective study conducted in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. METHODS: Women with independent gait assisted in a reference outpatient clinic were included. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, Modified Barthel Index, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and European quality of life were applied. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: A total of 68 women with a mean age of 56 (± 13.7) years were selected; 51% of the women fell in the follow-up, the latter was younger than 55 years (± 13.4), with greater severity of the stroke. Impairment in the posterior vascular territory was more evident among falling women (P = 0.009), but all falling and non-falling women presented impaired functional mobility (TUG = 15seconds). However, the total sample was classified as totally independent or with slight dependence on the activities of daily living (ADLs) (MBI = 49). The correlation between TUG time and MBI was negative and significant (R = -0.702, P ? 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The involvement of posterior circulation is an important predictor of falls, an important indicator in the monitoring of women after stroke. It also emphasizes that the lower functional mobility impacted women's functional capacity.