Women who are undergoing stroke rehabilitation seem to show less functional improvement than men, research has suggested.
Researchers at the Fondazione IRCCS Santa Lucia in Rome decided to investigate, after previously published studies failed to reach a consensus over whether there was any difference between the sexes.
The team, led by Dr Stefano Paolucci, studied 220 men and 220 women, all of whom had suffered a stroke and were similar in terms of stroke severity, age and the length of time between onset of stroke and their admission to hospital.
In terms of neurological recovery, the research revealed little difference between men and women.
However, men showed better functional recovery, being three times more likely to be capable of climbing stairs without assistance than women by the time they left hospital, and women being more likely to require a walking stick.
The researchers said that there was no clear explanation for the findings, but revealed that it could be related to "the interaction between sex-related differences in muscular strength…and age", Reuters news agency reports.
"This difference between sexes may increase in the elderly, because the observed decline in muscle strength with aging is also related to a reduction in physical activity, normally different between sexes," they wrote.
© Adfero Ltd
Researchers at the Fondazione IRCCS Santa Lucia in Rome decided to investigate, after previously published studies failed to reach a consensus over whether there was any difference between the sexes.
The team, led by Dr Stefano Paolucci, studied 220 men and 220 women, all of whom had suffered a stroke and were similar in terms of stroke severity, age and the length of time between onset of stroke and their admission to hospital.
In terms of neurological recovery, the research revealed little difference between men and women.
However, men showed better functional recovery, being three times more likely to be capable of climbing stairs without assistance than women by the time they left hospital, and women being more likely to require a walking stick.
The researchers said that there was no clear explanation for the findings, but revealed that it could be related to "the interaction between sex-related differences in muscular strength…and age", Reuters news agency reports.
"This difference between sexes may increase in the elderly, because the observed decline in muscle strength with aging is also related to a reduction in physical activity, normally different between sexes," they wrote.
© Adfero Ltd
Private Hospital News : 19/01/2007
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