Predictors of disability post stroke: Findings from the H-EPESE

Limited information is available on whether factors associated with recovery in functional ability change with time in persons with stroke. We used in-person interviews to assess recovery in functional ability at two time points. Participants were 150 Mexican Americans aged 65 or older with stroke from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) database. At the interview when the stroke was first reported, high positive affect and greater cognitive ability were significantly associated with less ADL disability and with better lower body function. At the next follow-up interview (2 to 3 years later), being married was significantly associated with less ADL disability and with better lower body function. The study found that factors associated with recovery in functional ability in persons with stroke change with time. These findings have implications for clinicians assessing and treating older persons with stroke.