Functional Measures Upon Admission to Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Predict Quality of Life After Ischemic Stroke

To evaluate the association between functional measures at admission to acute inpatient rehabilitation (AIR) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scores at 3 months after ischemic stroke. Consecutive patients with ischemic stroke admitted to AIR were consented to a prospective registry. Large academic referral inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Patients (N=113) with ischemic stroke (mean age 70.6 ± 14.5y; 54.0% male; 56.6% white) were included in the analysis. Not applicable. Admission FIM and Berg Balance Scores (BBS) were abstracted when available. The Neuro-Quality of Life questionnaire was used to assess 3-month HRQOL in 4 domains: upper extremity (UE), lower extremity (LE), executive functions (EF), and general concerns (GC). Associations of FIM and BBS scores with impaired HRQOL at 3 months were evaluated. The median time from stroke onset to admission FIM and BBS was 6.4 (interquartile range [IQR] 4.2-11.3) and 8.9 (IQR 5.8-14.4) days, respectively. A 5-point increase in admission FIM score decreased the likelihood of impairment in HRQOL at 3 months by 25% for GC (odds ratio [OR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.93, P=.01), 31% for EF (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.56-0.85, P=.001), 16% for UE function (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.96, P=.01), and 21% for LE function (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.93 P=.004). A 5-point increase in admission BBS decreased the likelihood of impairment in HRQOL domains at 3 months by 15% for UE function (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.98, P=.02) and 25% for LE function (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.64-0.89, P=.001). Admission FIM and BBS were strongly associated with 3-month HRQOL associated across multiple domains following stroke. These findings indicate that HRQOL can be predicted earlier in a patient’s course during AIR.