The study captures the wide-ranging impacts of non-motor complications in areas such as mental health, sleep, fatigue, pain, social participation, and bowel and bladder function following stroke.

The research team said it is vital that stroke services focus on these aspects of recovery alongside the traditional focus of care which has been how quickly patients regain movement and physical independence.

The comprehensive meta-analysis, published in JAMA Network Open, analysed data from 117,440 stroke survivors over a 24-year period. The study revealed that 1 in 2 stroke survivors experience multiple adverse non-motor outcomes, with many complications continuing for a decade or more.

The review, led by Dr Hatice Ozkan, with senior authors Dr Robert Simister and Prof David Werring, reinforces findings from a smaller scale 2024 study from the team.

The team is calling for an urgent expansion of rehabilitation services to include non-motor complications. The team said stroke pathways must also integrate long-term follow-up for survivors, ensuring that post-stroke complications are identified and managed early.

Prof Werring said: “Non-motor complications such as fatigue, sleep disturbance and depression are just as debilitating as physical disabilities, yet they remain under-recognized and under-treated.”
Dr Simister said: “We have available treatments, but without clear pathways to integrate them into routine care, too many patients continue to struggle.”
Lead author Dr. Ozkan said:  "Our comprehensive study shows the real-world impact of stroke and the urgent need for life-after-stroke care pathways addressing non-motor outcomes, which profoundly affect every aspect of a person’s life. Without patient-centred life after stroke pathways that include early recognition, standardised screening, and management, stroke survivors will continue to face slower recovery, greater dependency, and reduced quality of life. Therefore, current practices must improve to rebuild lives after stroke."

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Source: NIHR UCLH BRC