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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Two therapies may increase stroke patients chances of resuming a normal life.
The antidepressant drug escitalopram (Lexapro) and problem-solving therapy groups may lower the risk of post-stroke depression, new research shows. Previous studies have shown that depression, which occurs in more than half of stroke patients, increases the post-stroke mortality rate and often hinders recovery.
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Researchers at the University of Iowa in Iowa City separately studied the effects of escitalopram and problem-solving therapy on preventing depression among 176 stroke patients. They found participants who received the placebo were 4.5-times more likely to develop depression than those who received escitalopram and 2.2-times more likely than those who received problem-solving therapy. A more conservative method of analysis found that escitalopram had significantly better results than the placebo, while problem-solving therapy didnt.
The clinical implications of our findings are that patients who are given escitalopram or problem-solving therapy following acute stroke may be spared depression and perhaps its adverse consequences, study authors wrote.
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SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008;299:2391-2400.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
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