ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was (1) to characterize post-stroke patients according to motor skills (MS), depressive symptoms (DS) and cognitive function (CF), (2) compare these aspects according to sex, age, level of physical activity and (3) correlate them to time after stroke. We evaluated 135 subjects with mean age of 60 (± 15) years and 17 months post-stroke time. The following instruments were used: sociodemographic questionnaire, Fugl-Meyer Motor Scale (MA), Beck Depression Inventory (DS) and Mini Mental State Examination (CF). The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare sexes, ages and physical activity practice. The Spearman coefficient was used to verify the correlation between post-stroke time and the variables analyzed (MA, DS and CF). The group obtained an average of 118.19 (± 30.45) to MA, 9.93 (± 7.14) for DS and 21.7 (± 5.43) to CF. The results showed that women presented higher levels of depressive symptoms than men, patients older than 50 years presented lower scores for CF. There were no significant differences between sedentary and non-sedentary patients with regard to motor skills, depressive symptoms and cognitive function. No significant correlations were found between time and the variables analyzed. Our results will contribute to action and planning which seeks to improve the patient’s quality of life.
Keywords
Stroke; Motor Skill; Depression; Cognition; Exercise