Risk factors for stroke and neurocognitive disorders: the role of pre- and post-stroke physical activity
Risk factors for stroke and neurocognitive disorders: the role of pre- and post-stroke physical activity

Summary/Abstract: Stroke is one of the main problems for health systems, being a major cause of mortality and the second leading cause of DALYs. Through the development of medicine in recent years, mortality caused by cerebral vascular events and physical dysfunction tend to decrease. This turns mental dysfunction into the main cause of concern for the health systems and implicitly for society. Global cognitive decline after stroke is common, with a prevalence of approximately 44% in the first 6 months after the acute event. This has an effect on functional recovery abilities and increases the risk of developing major neurocognitive disorder. The long-term mortality is two to six times higher in patients with post-stroke dementia. Ten potentially modifiable risk factors are collectively associated with approximately 90% of the risks that can be attributable to the population for stroke. Physical activity decreased population attributable risk by about 53% in all types of stroke. Physical activity is associated with a decreased risk of stroke and mortality, as well as favorable results after stroke, which makes it a potential preventive measure against cognitive decline. An increased level of physical activity performed prior to stroke is independently associated with higher cognitive performance after stroke. The combined use of several measures with a vascular protective role, applied since middle age, could prevent several years of cognitive aging.

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