Table 1.
Characteristics of Poststroke Patients Randomized to Receive Escitalopram, Problem-Solving Therapy, or Placebo
| No. (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Escitalopram (n = 59) | Problem-Solving Therapy (n = 59) | Placebo (n = 58) | |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 61.3 (13.7) | 67.3 (11.2) | 63.9 (13.3) |
| Male | 38 (64.4) | 30 (50.8) | 37 (63.8) |
| Married | 34 (57.6) | 27 (45.8) | 34 (58.6) |
| Education, mean (SD), y | 13.5 (3.2) | 14.2 (3.0) | 13.3 (2.8) |
| Socioeconomic class IV–Va | 15 (25.4) | 14 (23.7) | 17 (29.3) |
| Previous history of mood disorder | 3 (5.1) | 3 (5.1) | 3 (5.2) |
| Baseline HDRS score, mean (SD) | 7.1 (4.5) | 7.0 (3.7) | 7.2 (4.2) |
| Medical comorbidity Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg |
137.9 (24.9) | 147.2 (20.7) | 144.5 (23.5) |
| Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, mean (SD), mg/dL | 117.4 (39.6) | 113.0 (40.4) | 120.6 (46.1) |
| Diabetes mellitusb | 25 (42.3) | 11 (18.6) | 11 (19.0) |
| Coronary artery disease | 16 (27.1) | 18 (30.5) | 11 (19.0) |
| Congestive heart failure | 10 (16.9) | 10 (16.9) | 3 (5.5) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 10 (16.9) | 14 (23.7) | 7 (12.1) |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 7 (11.9) | 5 (8.5) | 3 (5.2) |
| Cumulative illness rating scale total scores, mean (SD) | 10.3 (5.1) | 9.7 (4.8) | 9.7 (4.8) |
| Stroke characteristics and functional impairment Ischemic stroke |
57 (96.6) | 52 (88.1) | 53 (91.4) |
| Location supratentorial lesions | 45 (76.3) | 43 (72.9) | 49 (84.5) |
| Large artery thrombosis | 36 (61.0) | 27 (45.8) | 23 (39.7) |
| Bilateral deep white matter lesions | 23 (39.0) | 24 (40.7) | 20 (34.5) |
| Side left lesions | 35 (59.3) | 22 (37.3) | 30 (51.7) |
| Lacunar infarctions | 14 (23.7) | 19 (32.2) | 24 (41.4) |
| NIHSS score, mean (SD) | 7.2 (2.9) | 5.9 (2.3) | 6.4 (2.0) |
| Baseline SFE score, mean (SD) | 0.11 (0.1) | 0.12 (0.1) | 0.14 (0.1) |
| Baseline FIM score, mean (SD) | 115.3 (15.3) | 110.5 (16.2) | 116.7 (14.4) |
| Baseline RBANS score, mean (SD) | 96.6 (14.3) | 87.4 (17.3) | 86.4 (14.4) |
Abbreviations: FIM, Functional Independence Measure; HDRS, Hamilton-17 Depression Rating Scale; NIHSS, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; RBANS, Repeatable Battery to Assess Neuropsychological Status; SFE, Social Functioning Exam. See the “Methods” section for descriptions and score ranges of these instruments.
SI conversion factor: to convert low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to mmol/L, multiply values by 0.0259.
Class IV indicates some high school, completion of high school, attainment of general educational development (GED), and employment at an unskilled trade; and class V indicates completion of an 8th-grade education or less and employment at an unskilled trade or unemployment per Hollingshead classification.30
Patients randomized to escitalopram had a greater frequency of diabetes mellitus when compared with the placebo group, Fisher exact test P = .01.