Abstract

Background: Previous research suggested a predictive role of vascular risk factors (VRFs) in developing post stroke depression (PSD), however this relationship in young stroke patients still remain unclear. Objective: The aim of our study was to examine the association of VRFs and post-stroke depression in young adults. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study including 70 patients (aged ≤50 years) with incident ischemic stroke. Data on vascular risk factors were collected and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) was used to assess the mental status. Patients were stratified in 2 groups (depressed and non-depressed) according to DSM-IV criteria. A follow up was done after one month and after 6 months. Results: A total of 40 patients had a significantly higher HAMD score (17.56 ± 3.1) compared to 30 patients in non-depressed group (5.87 ±1.72) (p < 0.0001) in acute stroke occurence, one month after stroke (18.18±2.69) vs (5.43 ± 1.55) (p< 0.0001) and six months after stroke (19.08 ± 2.30) vs (4.83±1.21) (p

Key words: stroke, risk factors, depression.