Mild Stroke Patients Should Be Checked for Depression, Visual Problems: Study

Patients who have had a mild stroke may not be getting the care they need and should be checked for depression, visual problems, and other potential complications, a new study shows.

Researchers at Canada's University of Montreal interviewed 200 people in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec within six weeks of having a stroke and found high rates of depression and sleep deprivation among the patients, among other problems.

Results were shared this week at the Canadian Stroke Congress in Ottawa.

Patients are told to see their family doctor, but given no other tools or rehabilitation, study co-author Annie Rochette said in a university statement. When they go to drive again some people are too afraid to get behind the wheel.

Canadian Stroke Network CEO Antoine Hakim echoed the study's findings.

Stroke patients who have had a mild stroke face many challenges getting back to their daily lives, Hakim said in a statement. Proper evaluation to avoid a recurrence and rehabilitation after leaving hospital is essential to ease this transition and to provide people with the tools to live a healthy life.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Steps to prevent stroke include eating healthily, refraining from smoking and limiting alcohol intake, according to the CDC.

The CDC advises people who have conditions such as diabetes and heart disease to have their cholesterol levels checked, monitor blood pressure, and following medicine instructions carefully.

PositivePowerPublishing.com, a Web site for stroke survivors, has several pieces of advice for people in this group from other stroke survivors, caregivers, and doctors.

The Web site includes tips on writing checks, traveling after stroke, and foot care, among other topics.