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Poststroke fatigue is associated with caudate infarcts.

Authors :: Tang WK
Liang HJ
Chen YK
Chu WC
Abrigo J
Mok VC
Ungvari GS
Wong KS
Source :: Journal of the neurological sciences [J Neurol Sci] 2013 Jan 15; Vol. 324 (1-2), pp. 131-5. Date of Electronic Publication: 2012 Nov 09.
Publication Year :: 2013
Abstract: Objective: The caudate nucleus may be involved in the pathogenesis of the fatigue observed in neurological disorders. However, the significance of caudate lesions in poststroke fatigue (PSF) is unknown. This study examined the association between caudate infarcts and PSF.<br />Methods: Five hundred Chinese patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to the acute stroke unit of a university-affiliated regional hospital in Hong Kong participated in the study. All participants were assessed for PSF with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) three months after their index stroke. PSF was defined as a mean FSS score of 4.0 or more. Physical functioning and depressive symptoms were measured by the Barthel Index (BI) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).<br />Results: One hundred and twenty-five (25.0%) of the patients had PSF. Compared to the non-fatigue group, the PSF patients were more likely to be women and had hyperlipidemia, lower BI and higher GDS scores. Caudate (8.0% versus 1.3%, p=0.001) and putamen (19.2% versus 12.0%, p=0.043) acute infarcts were more common in the PSF group, whereas pons infarcts (13.6% versus 22.2%, p=0.038) were less common. Acute caudate infarcts remained an independent predictor of PSF in the multivariate analysis, with an odds ratio of 6.4.<br />Conclusions: The results suggest that patients with PSF are more likely to have caudate infarcts.<br /> (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)