Somatosensory impairment after stroke: frequency of different deficits and their recovery

Objective: To investigate the frequency of somatosensory impairment in stroke patients within different somatosensory modalities and different body areas, and their recovery. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Two stroke rehabilitation units. Subjects: Seventy patients with a first stroke (36 men, 34 women; average age, 71, SD 10.00 years; average time since stroke onset, 15 days) were assessed on admission and two, four and six months after stroke. Interventions: Not applicable. Main measure: Nottingham Sensory Assessment. Results: Somatosensory impairment was common after stroke; 7—53% had impaired tactile sensations, 31—89% impaired stereognosis, and 34—64% impaired proprioception. When comparing somatosensory modalities within body areas the kappa values were low (kappa values