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The impact of somatosensory function on activity performance and length of hospital stay in geriatric patients with stroke

Department of Geriatric Medicine, Danderyd Hospital, Danderyd; Neurotec Department, Section of Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden

Magnus H von Arbin

Stroke Unit, Division of Internal Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital, Danderyd, Sweden

Objective: To investigate in geriatric patients with stroke the relationship between somatosensory function, activity performance and the length of stay (LOS) in either hospital or nursing home.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Stroke unit and geriatric rehabilitation unit.

Subjects: One hundred and fifteen consecutive patients with acute stroke 65 years old.

Main outcome measures: Clinically assessed somatosensory function, activity of daily living according to the Barthel Index (BI) (0–100 points), mobility according to the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) (0–15 points) and LOS.

Results: Ten days after stroke onset, the patients with normal (n = 46), impaired (n = 31) and nonassessable (n = 38) somatosensory function scored 85, 40 and 0 points respectively on the BI, and 8.5, 2 and 0 points respectively on the RMI. Forty-one of 46 patients (89%) with normal somatosensory function were discharged home within three months, compared with 10 of 31 patients (32%) with impaired somatosensory function and three of 38 patients (8%) who were nonassessable. These between-group differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Multiple regression, to adjust for the impact of age, social situation and bladder function on outcome still proved a statistically significant (p < 0.001) predictive value of normal somatosensory function.

Conclusions: Normal somatosensory function is related to high activity levels and short LOS more often than somatosensory impairment is related to activity limitations and long LOS.

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 18, No. 2, 149-155 (2004)
DOI: 10.1191/0269215504cr710oa


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