Yahoo News Women twice as likely to suffer from severe depression after strokes than men, study finds
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from severe depression after a stroke, new research has found.
Symptoms of depression are common after having a stroke, which can lead to long-term consequences such as slow recovery, poor quality of life and a higher chance of dying early.
Researchers from King’s College London said women were significantly more likely to experience severe depression than men because they are more reliant on social networks for their sense of identity, and the debilitating attacks often make it harder for victims to communicate and take part in activities with other people.
Experts tracked symptoms of depression in 2,313 people - 1,275 of whom were men and 1,038 women.
All the patients had their first ever stroke between 1998 and 2016 and were followed up until July 2017.
The study, which was published in the European Journal of Neurology, found more than 10% of men suffer long-term severe symptoms, and 20% of women severe or very severe symptoms that persist over time.
Lead author Dr Salma Ayis, from the School of Population Health and Environmental Sciences at King's College London, said: “Women draw more of their sense of self and self-worth from social relationships so are more sensitive to challenges in maintaining this.
“Strokes are associated with many difficulties in physical activity and affect participation in social activities and roles of life and often affect cognition. It is hard for women to have the same role and the same friends and the same social network.”
Dr Ayis noted that women are already at higher risk of depression than men in the general population and are also known to report their symptoms more than men.
She said that generally women who have strokes are slightly older than men.
“Also, as women live longer, they are more exposed to loneliness, poor physical health and loss of support, all of which could lead to depression,” she said.
"What is common to both sexes is the dramatic decrease in the likelihood of survival as depression symptoms increase. We believe, therefore, that by monitoring symptoms of depression in stroke survivors and acting accordingly, clinicians may be able to provide better long-term care."
Stroke is a life-threatening medical condition that happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked. An estimated one in six people worldwide will have a stroke in their lifetime and there are more than 100,000 strokes in the UK every year. About a third of all survivors experience depression afterwards.
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