There are different paths of recovery that a patient can take after a stroke, which range from some degree of cognitive recovery to a steep decline and recurrent strokes.1,3 Patients can show some early recovery,1-3 but this is reduced in patients with:
- greater small vessel disease burden4
- diabetes mellitus, older age4
- early executive dysfunction.6
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The pathology of ischaemic stroke is complex, but commonly involves the formation of a clot that travels in the blood to or within the brain and becomes lodged in the blood vessels of the brain (a thromboembolism), which can reduce or block blood flow (an occlusion).
Post-stroke fatigue is an under-recognized NPS, which healthcare professionals should anticipate in patients.
Emotional lability describes episodes of involuntary and uncontrollable crying and/or laughing, outside of socially appropriate circumstances and when it is incongruent with the patient’s emotional state.