Table II.
Participants’ characteristics
| Pre-stroke demographics | All patients (n = 473) | Norwegian patients (n = 318) | Danish patients (n = 155) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years, mean (95% CI) | 71.1 (70.0–72.2) | 72.0 (69.4–72.3) | 69.3 (67.4–71.3) | 0.03 |
| 18–64 years, n (%) | 122 (26) | 80 (25) | 42 (27) | 00.65 |
| 65+ years, n (%) | 351 (74) | 238 (75) | 113 (73) | |
| Sex, n (%) | ||||
| Male | 272 (57) | 182 (57) | 90 (58) | 0.86 |
| Female | 201 (43) | 136 (43) | 65 (42) | |
| Living alone, n (%) | 175 (39) | 131 (42) | 44 (28) | 0.005 |
| Working, n (%) | 101 (21) | 60 (19) | 41 (26) | 0.06 |
| Need assistance, n (%) | 42 (8) | 39 (12) | 3 (2) | 0.001 |
| Stroke characteristics | ||||
| Ischaemic stroke, n (%) | 433 (92) | 286 (90) | 147 (95) | 0.072 |
| Total SSS score, median (IQR 25–75%) | 47 (42–54) | 47 (41–52) | 50 (43–56) | 0.001 |
| Very severe SSS score, n (%) | 9 (2) | 8 (2) | 1 (1) | 0.057a |
| Severe SSS score, n (%) | 22 (5) | 15 (5) | 7 (5) | |
| Moderate SSS score, n (%) | 144 (30) | 108 (34) | 36 (23) | |
| Mild SSS score, n (%) | 297 (63) | 187 (59) | 110 (71) | |
| Stroke unit treatment | ||||
| Thrombolysis, n (%) | 76 (16) | 43 (14) | 33 (21) | 0.032 |
| LOS (days), median (IQR 25%-75%) | 4 (2–7) | 5 (3–8.25) | 2 (1–4) | 0.001 |
| Early subacute rehabilitation | ||||
| Inpatient rehabilitation, n (%) | 163 (34) | 131 (41) | 32 (21) | 0.001 |
| Community-based rehabilitation, n (%) | 118 (25) | 52 (17) | 66 (42) | 0.001 |
| No rehabilitation after discharge from stroke unit, n (%) | 189 (40) | 135 (43) | 54 (37) | 0.15 |
| Level of functioning at 3 months post stroke | ||||
| mRS score 0–1 (no or mild symptoms), n (%) | 306 (65) | 203 (64) | 103 (66) | 0.28 |
| mRS score 2–3 (moderate symptoms), n (%) | 129 (27) | 85 (27) | 44 (28) | |
| mRS score 4–5 (severe symptoms), n (%) | 38(8) | 30 (9) | 8 (5) | |
p-values are for comparisons between the Norwegian and Danish patients.
a
Mild SSS score compared with moderate, severe and very severe SSS score.
IQR: interquartile range; SSS: Scandinavian Stroke Scale; LOS: length of stay in stroke unit; mRS: modified Rankin scale.