Frequency of Depression in post stroke patients presenting at tertiary care hospital, Larkana

Abstract

Objective: To document the prevalence of PSD and to identify associated clinical and demographic factors in a tertiary care setting.
Methodology: We carried out a cross-sectional study among 179 stroke survivors at a tertiary care hospital in Larkana during 15 June 2025 to 15 December 2025. The clinical features along with demographic details were recorded and the depression symptoms were analyzed with authentic methods. Chi-square tests were used to determine the correlation of depression with stroke patient’s features. Ethical approval and written informed consent were secured.
Results: 40.1% population of patients experience depressive disorder. Patients within the age bracket of 40–60 years experienced more symptoms of depression than the older ones, however, this contrast was not significant statistically. It was also observed that the within six months of the stroke episode, the patients were more prone to experience depres-sive disorder as compared to those having relatively longer duration since the episode of stroke (48.7% vs. 33.0%; p=0.03). Moreover, clinical depression was found more prevalent in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type II (61.9% vs. 32.8%; p=0.01) as well as amongst individuals with consistent smoking habits (p=0.04). No significant asso-ciation as regards gender or hypertension was observed.
Conclusion: Stroke is a substantive risk factor for developing clinical depression among the survivors. Thorough screen-ing along with adequate follow up may significantly address the neurological and psychiatric needs of these patients, resulting in improved quality of life.

Key words: Beck Depression Inventory, Diabetes mellitus; post-stroke depression; Stroke; Risk factors; Hypertension