Post-traumatic stress disorder and stroke in the elderly

Introduction Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in survivors of acute life-threatening illness, but little is known about the burden of PTSD in survivors of stroke attack. Objectives This study estimated the prevalence of PTSD in post-stroke in the elderly and to look for the factors which are correlated with it. Methods Participants were outpatients of Psychiatry B department in Hedi chaker University Hospital Center in Tunisia, over the age of 65, hospitalized in psychiatry for a major depressive episode, recruted between 2000 and 2015. The data was collected using a pre-established sheet containing socio-demographic information, the clinical and evolutionary characteristics of the depressive episode and the therapeutic data concerning the depressive episode. Results 30 patients were included in this study with an average age (69 Y) and sex ratio (0.66). More than half (53.3%, 16 patients) had a history of chronic somatic disease. The average length of hospitalization was 26 days. The most frequent reason for hospitalization is sadness of mood (43.3%) with cognitive impairment as the predominant clinical symptomatology (40%). 93.3% of the population received as treatment an antidepressant mainly Fluoxetine (50%). Conclusions clinicians should be mindful that PTSD can be a devastating mental health condition and should consider screening for PTSD in stroke survivors.