Background and objectives: Age might be a determinant that limits functional recovery in patients with stroke. Here, we investigated the effect of age on functional recovery within 30 months after stroke onset. Materials and Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study enrolled 111 patients with first-ever stroke. Functional recovery was assessed at 2 weeks and at 1, 6, and 30 months after stroke onset using the modified Barthel Index (MBI), modified Rankin Score (mRS), functional ambulation category (FAC), muscle strength, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). A generalized estimating equation analysis was performed. Results: With the MBI, function improved until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in patients ≥70 years. At 30 months after stroke, there was no significant change of MBI in patients aged <70 years, whereas there was a significant decline in older patients. With the mRS and FAC, function improved until 30 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in older patients. Motor deficit, assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC), improved significantly until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years. There was a significant improvement in cognition (assessed using the MMSE) until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in older patients. Conclusions: Long-term functional recovery occurred for up to 30 months after stroke. Patients aged ≥70 years showed functional decline between 6 and 30 months after onset. These findings could be useful when measuring functional recovery after stroke.

Objective To investigate the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) and duration of injury in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).Methods Patients with SCI who visited the outpatient department between January 2009 and January 2019 were enrolled. Patients’ most recent dual energy X-ray absorptiometry images were reviewed. According to the 2007 International Society for Clinical Densitometry guidelines, vertebrae with a local structural change were excluded when deriving spine BMD. If one or no vertebra is suitable for evaluation, spine BMD was judged as “improper for assessment”. Correlation analysis was performed between duration from injury and BMD Z-scores of the hip and spine.Results Among 83 individuals with SCI, the spines of 44 were judged as improper for assessment. The correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between the duration from injury and femur neck BMD (r=-0.40, p<0.01) and total proximal femur BMD (r=-0.39, p<0.01). However, no significant correlation was found between the duration from injury and spine BMD Z-score.Conclusion The duration of SCI correlated with hip BMD, but not with spine BMD. Further, more than half of the individuals with SCI could not undergo spinal assessment due to local structural changes. Therefore, spine BMD measurement is not an appropriate method for predicting future fracture risk in those with SCI.

Lee Y, et al. Brain Neurorehabil. 2019 Sep;13:e4. https://doi.org/10.12786/bn.2020.13.e4

Background: We aimed to develop a consensus on the need for and priorities of exercise to treat preexisting sarcopenia with hemiplegic stroke. Methods: A modified three-round Delphi study was conducted. The panelists responded to the questionnaire on a 7-point Likert scale. Responses were returned with descriptive statistics in the next round. Consensus was defined as >75% agreement (score of 5–7) with a median > 5. The percentage of strong agreement (score of 6–7) and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance were calculated to demonstrate a more refined interpretation of the consensus. Results: Fifteen panelists contributed to all rounds. The need for exercise was demonstrated. The consensus was reached on 53 of 58 items in the first round and all items in the second and final rounds. The percentage of strong agreement was high for all but eight items. Conclusions: This study is the first Delphi study to investigate the need for and priorities of exercise for treating preexisting sarcopenia in stroke hemiplegia. We present a standard recommendation including 57 priorities and a strong recommendation including 49 priorities. The eight items that were excluded reflected factors that are less important to hemiplegic patients with poor balance, cognitive decline, or mental vulnerability.