An estimated 700,000 people have a stroke in the United States each year, and approximately 37% of stroke survivors develop depression within 2 years. Studies have shown that stroke patients who develop depression have slower recovery and an increased risk of mortality in the ten-year post-stroke period than patients who don't become depressed. In a study published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers reported that patients with recent stroke who were treated with escitalopram (marketed as Lexapro®) or problem-solving therapy were less likely to develop depression in the first year following their stroke .

The researchers studies 176 patients with recent stroke who were not diagnosed with depression. These patients were divided into three groups - one group received escitalopram (an anti-depressant), another group was treated with problem-solving therapy, and the final group received a placebo. The researchers found that the patients treated with placebo were more likely to develop depression than the other two groups of patients, even when taking into account a history of mood disorders. Treatment with escitalopram was statistically superior to placebo in the prevention of depression. Although patients treated with problem-solving therapy had fewer cases of depression than patients treated with placebo, the difference was not statistically significant.

Although the patients in this study were only followed for one year, these results are promising for the growing number of stroke patients in the U.S. - both from a personal and a public health perspective - as they offer a potential quality of life and survival benefit.

Source

JAMA. 2008;299:2391-2400.