People may have symptoms of depression years before stroke: Study

Jul 20, 2022

New Delhi, July 20 (ANI): According to a new study, while depression is a common problem for people who have had a stroke, some people may have symptoms of depression years before their stroke.“Depression is among the most pressing problems in people who have had a stroke and it is so common it is referred to as post-stroke depression,” said study author Maria Blochl, PhD, of the University of Munster in Germany. “Depression is not only a post-stroke issue, but also a pre-stroke phenomenon,” said Blochl. “Whether these pre-stroke changes can be used to predict who will have a stroke is unclear. Exactly why depressive symptoms occur pre-stroke needs to be investigated in future research. Also, the study underscores why doctors need to monitor for symptoms of depression long term in people who have had strokes.” A limitation of the study was that researchers did not have enough data on treatments for depression. So, it is possible that some people received antidepressants that could have improved their symptoms of depression following stroke.