Multivariate logistic regression analysis of clinical characteristics and risk factors of cognitive impairment after cerebral ischemic stroke: implications for clinical treatment.

Background: Stroke ranks first among disease fatalities, and those who do survive stroke are prone to cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics of post stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and the risk factors of PSCI using multivariate logistic regression.

Methods: January 2018 to January 2021, the clinical data of 120 patients treated for cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS) at Chengde Central Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. In this study, patients were divided into 2 groups: a control group and a cognitive impairment group. The clinical characteristics of cognitive impairment following CIS were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the risk factors and identify clinical implications.

Results: This study included the assessment of overall cognitive function and daily living activities of 120 participants, 68 of whom experienced cognitive impairment, representing an incidence of 57%, while 43% patients represented no cognitive impairment after CIS. After the careful analysis of the data, there were remarkable differences in age, sex, education level, stroke history, infarction area, and infarction location (P<0.05). There was no remarkable difference in the history of hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, carotid intima thickness, smoking, or drinking (P>0.05). The degree of white matter degeneration, brain atrophy, and dominant hemisphere involvement was higher in the cognitive impairment group (P<0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that sex, age, education level, stroke history, infarction size, and infarction location were the main risk factors for cognitive impairment after CIS (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Patients with cognitive impairment after CIS have imaging features of white matter degeneration, brain atrophy, and involvement of dominant hemispheres. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that sex, age, education level, stroke history, infarct size, and infarct location were main risk factors of cognitive impairment after CIS.