{
  "abstract": "Background Early identification of factors influencing long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after stroke is essential for individualising poststroke support. While different patient characteristics have been shown to be associated with HRQoL, few studies have investigated how these associations evolve over time. The interaction between baseline characteristics at time of stroke and the elapsed time since stroke may reveal divergent recovery trajectories that remain obscured when conditions are assessed without consideration of temporal trends.Methods This cross-sectional single-centre cohort study analysed data from 47 patients with minor ischaemic stroke, drawn from a local aftercare programme. HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-5L index value once within a period of up to 3 years after stroke. Patient characteristics at hospital admission (ie, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, modified Rankin Scale, age, sex and recanalisation therapy) were tested for associations with HRQoL using Spearman’s rank correlation and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Variables significantly associated with HRQoL were entered into multivariate linear regression (MLR), adjusted for time since stroke. Interaction terms were tested to evaluate whether the effect of baseline characteristics varied by time since stroke.Results Only age at time of stroke showed a significant association with EQ-5D-5L index values. The final MLR model included quadratic age terms and their interaction with time since stroke, explaining 29% of the variance in HRQoL (p<0.001). Based on this model, younger age is associated with increasing HRQoL from stroke onward, whereas older age is associated with decreasing HRQoL.Conclusions This study indicates that age and time since stroke jointly influence long-term HRQoL after minor stroke. Our findings guide the hypothesis that older individuals may predominantly face progressive HRQoL deterioration after stroke, while younger patients show marked recovery potential. Tailoring aftercare strategies to age-specific recovery profiles could improve the long-term support and outcomes after stroke.Trial registration number DRKS00031333.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Richard Schmidt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Daniela Geisler"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Daniela Urban"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "German Stroke Foundation, Gütersloh, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Rebecca Pries"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "German Stroke Foundation, Gütersloh, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Christina Franzisket"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "German Stroke Foundation, Gütersloh, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Christian Voigt"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Joseph Classen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "German Stroke Foundation, Gütersloh, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Markus Wagner"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Leipzig University Hospital, Leipzig, Germany"
      ],
      "name": "Dominik Michalski"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Age-specific and time-dependent trends in health-related quality of life after minor stroke: results of a cross-sectional cohort study",
  "uid": "2a057833-f179-5aea-9ada-bb10b83a9b1c"
}