Multimorbidity and Functional Outcomes in Older Stroke Patients: A Retrospective Study Across All Ages

Arumugam, Turkadevi and Wahid, Wahida (2025) Multimorbidity and Functional Outcomes in Older Stroke Patients: A Retrospective Study Across All Ages. Working with Older People. pp. 1-19. ISSN 1366-3666, DOI https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-09-2024-0058. (Submitted)

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and distribution of multimorbidity among stroke patients and its impact on functional outcomes across different age groups. Design/methodology/approach- The study design was hospital-based, retrospective cross-sectional design, analyzing medical records from 2022 to 2023 to identify patients with a first-ever diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke admitted to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. This retrospective study did not involve active participant recruitment. The research team accessed and selected existing patient data based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patient data was anonymized and handled according to the institution's ethical guidelines CCI scores showed a rise in comorbidity burden with age (χ² = 45.439, p ≤ 0.001). However, no significant differences in motor (MAS) or balance (BBS) function were observed across age groups (MAS: χ² = 14.622, p = 0.263; BBS: χ² = 8.774, p = 0.362). Weak negative correlations were found between CCI scores and both MAS (r = -0.127, p = 0.129) and BBS scores (r = -0.095, p = 0.143), though these were not statistically significant. Multivariate regression analysis identified stroke duration as the only significant predictor of motor function recovery (B = 0.869, p = 0.003). There are several limitations in this study. Cross-sectional designs made causal inferences difficult, and the small sample size may have reduced power to detect significant associations. The study also did not take into consideration on rehabilitation interventions affect functional recovery. Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes are needed to understand the complex interactions between multimorbidity, age, and stroke survivors' functional outcomes. In conclusions, the study provides the factors influencing stroke recovery in older adults. We found that stroke duration may predict motor function recovery better than multimorbidity and age. This suggests that older stroke survivors may benefit from ongoing rehabilitation and support. However, our findings also highlight the need for further research to determine how to improve functional outcomes for stroke patients, as they age. Further research is needed to identify strategies to optimize functional outcomes in this population. This study provides novel insights into the impact of multimorbidity on stroke recovery in Malaysia, a topic with limited existing research.

Item Type:	Article
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Multimorbidity; Functional Outcomes; Stroke Patients; Comorbidities; Balance; Older Adults
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science (formerly known as Centre for Sports & Exercise Sciences)
Depositing User:	Ms. Juhaida Abd Rahim
Date Deposited:	27 Mar 2025 07:58
Last Modified:	27 Mar 2025 07:58
URI:	http://eprints.um.edu.my/id/eprint/47688

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