Association between the frequency of stroke recurrence and cognitive function: a cross-sectional study

Abstract
Aim: Stroke is a major health burden that causes adult mortality and disability. Cognitive impairment is common after stroke, and this condition can affect the patient’s quality of life and independence. In this study, we investigated the association between stroke recurrence frequency and cognitive function.
Methods: The study design was a cross-sectional study. A purposive sampling technique was used to collect data on a total of 69 stroke patients from the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) Hospital. The inclusion criteria were stroke patients who experienced recurrence, were conscious, and able to communicate at least verbally. The determination of the number of samples was made using G*Power software with an effect size of 0.35, p-value of 0.05, and power of 80%. Data was collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire and mini-mental state examination. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlation due to the violated normal distribution assumption.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 61.91 (12.65) years, and 84.10% of them had ischemic stroke. The highest incidence of stroke recurrence was the first recurrence (63%), and the majority of respondents had moderate cognitive impairment (52.18%). There is an association between stroke recurrence and cognitive function, with a low correlation (p = 0.017, r = –0.29).
Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that cognitive function will be decreased by stroke recurrence. Healthcare teams should develop strategies and intervention protocols to improve patient compliance in controlling factors that can cause stroke recurrence, so that cognitive function decline can be minimized.