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Women more
likely to comply with Stroke Prevention
despite being more depressed
Newswise — After a stroke, women are more likely to become
depressed than men, but despite being
depressed, women are more likely than men to
take stroke medications, according to
research that will be presented at the
American Academy of Neurology 60th
Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April
12–19, 2008.
The study involved 491 stroke survivors who were all
prescribed drugs prior to hospital discharge
aimed at preventing a second stroke by
lowering cholesterol, reducing high blood
pressure and preventing blood clots.
Three months later, researchers evaluated the participants’
level of depression, quality of life, and
whether they were still taking the stroke
prevention drugs. A total of 385 people, or
78 percent, were still taking their
medications after three months.
Nineteen percent of women reported feelings of depression,
compared to 10 percent of men.
Thirty percent of women reported sleep problems, compared to
22 percent of men. But the men who kept
taking their drugs reported a better overall
quality of life than women who stuck with
their medications.
“This study was consistent with others that have shown that
women are more likely to keep taking their
medications than men, even though they may
be more likely to be depressed and have
poorer quality of life,” said study author
Cheryl Bushnell, MD, MHS, of Wake Forest
University in Winston-Salem, NC, and member
of the American Academy of Neurology.
“It may be that depression and quality of life do not impact
women’s motivation to take their
medications. Men, on the other hand, who are
more depressed and report poorer quality of
life, are less likely to adhere to their
medication schedules.”
The study was part of a multi-center registry of 105
hospitals participating in the American
Heart Association/American Stroke
Association’s Get With The Guidelines
program.
The study was supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb/sanofi
aventis Partnership.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more
than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience
professionals, is dedicated to improving
patient care through education and research.
A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in
diagnosing, treating and managing disorders
of the brain and nervous system such as
Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, multiple
sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.
For more information about the American
Academy of Neurology, visit
http://www.aan.com.
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