{
  "abstract": "Background Cognitive decline is a significant concern for stroke survivors, affecting their quality of life and increasing their burden on the healthcare system. DL-3-n-butylphthalide (butylphthalide) has shown efficacy in the short-term treatment of various cognitive impairments. This study evaluated the efficacy of butylphthalide in preventing cognitive decline over a 12-month period in patients with ischaemic stroke.Methods This prospective following-up study involved patients newly diagnosed with ischaemic stroke between 1 month and 6 months after stroke onset and not in the acute phase. Patients were assigned to either the butylphthalide or control group. Cognitive function was assessed using the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) at baseline and at the 12-month follow-up. Statistical analyses included t-tests, χ 2 tests and multivariate regression analyses.Results Butylphthalide was negatively associated with the MMSE D-value (β=−0.122; 95% CI −1.932 to −0.298; p=0.003) and the MMSE D-value percentage (β=−0.117; 95% CI −0.057 to −0.011; p=0.004). A multivariate analysis indicated that butylphthalide treatment was negatively associated with both changes in orientation and language score. Additionally, the incidence of cognitive decline was significantly lower in the butylphthalide group (OR, 0.612; p=0.020) than the control group. An age of ≥60 years and lower educational level were identified as risk factors for lower cognitive score and cognitive decline.Conclusion This study demonstrated that butylphthalide is effective in preventing cognitive decline in patients with ischaemic stroke. These findings have significant implications for clinical practice, suggesting that butylphthalide could be incorporated into standard post-stroke care regimens to improve patient outcomes and reduce the healthcare burden. Additional multicentre double-blind trials are recommended to confirm these results in diverse populations.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Jizhou Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Qingqing Han"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Critical Care Medicine, Tianjin Jizhou People’s Hospital, Tianjin, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiyu Zhao"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yingzhe Shao"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Fengtao Tan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "The First Clinical School, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China"
      ],
      "name": "Haotian Wen"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "College of Anesthesiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China"
      ],
      "name": "Di Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Xiao Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yunfan Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, Tianjin, China",
        "Department of Neurology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China",
        "Laboratory of Epidemiology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Jun Tu"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Jizhou Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China",
        "Institute of Clinical Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine, Tianjin Jizhou People's Hospital, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Lifeng Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Laboratory of Epidemiology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin, China",
        "Institute of Clinical Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine, Tianjin Jizhou People's Hospital, Tianjin, China",
        "Key Laboratory of Post-Neuroinjury Neuro-repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education and Tianjin City, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Xianjia Ning"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Laboratory of Epidemiology, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin, China",
        "Institute of Clinical Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine, Tianjin Jizhou People's Hospital, Tianjin, China",
        "Key Laboratory of Post-Neuroinjury Neuro-repair and Regeneration in Central Nervous System, Ministry of Education and Tianjin City, Tianjin Neurological Institute, Tianjin, People's Republic of China"
      ],
      "name": "Jinghua Wang"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Jizhou Clinical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China",
        "Institute of Clinical Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Medicine, Tianjin Jizhou People's Hospital, Tianjin, China"
      ],
      "name": "Yan Li"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Efficacy of butylphthalide in preventing cognitive decline in ischaemic stroke survivors: a 12-month prospective following-up study",
  "uid": "0d0bb9c0-463e-5092-ae0d-f54904a757b1"
}