Predictors of poststroke dementia: Results of a hospital-based study in Poland

Dementia affects up to 30% of stroke survivors 3 months after stroke. The goal of this study was to determine the risk factors of poststroke dementia (PSD) in a cohort of consecutive stroke patients in Poland. A standard stroke evaluation was conducted on admission in 220 consecutive patients with ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke after excluding 30 (12%) patients with prestroke dementia. After 3 months, the survivors completed a comprehensive neuropsychological examination. The DSM-IV definition was used for diagnosis of dementia. Dementia was diagnosed in 44 (22.6%) patients 3 months after stroke. In logistic regression analysis, age ( OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.04 - 1.14, p < 0.001), diabetes mellitus ( OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.06 - 6.57, p = 0.03) and neurological deficit on admission ( OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.89 - 0.96, p < 0.001) were independently associated with PSD in the Polish hospital-based population. Copyright (C) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.