Your education and income level may affect your survival, recovery from stroke

People with low education and income levels may have a 10% increased risk of death or being dependent on others to complete daily tasks three months after a stroke compared to people with high education and income levels, according to new research published in the online issue of Neurology.

For the study, researchers identified 25,846 people in the Swedish Stroke Register who had a stroke during a two-year period, and who prior to their stroke were able to live independently with no assistance with daily activities such as walking, dressing, bathing or eating. Three months after stroke, 6,798 people died or needed assistance with daily activities.

Researchers then identified income and education levels for participants. They divided education into three levels: primary school, high school and college. They defined income as the participant’s portion of their family’s disposable income the year before the stroke.

Using these two measures, researchers divided participants into three socioeconomic groups. Low socioeconomic status was defined as having only a primary school education and a disposable income in the lowest group. High socioeconomic status was having a college education and a disposable income in the highest group. Everyone in between was placed in the middle group.

After adjusting for sex and age, researchers found people in the low socioeconomic group had a 5% increased absolute risk of death and dependency on others compared to people in the middle group, and a 10% increased absolute risk compared to people in the high socioeconomic group.

Reference: AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY

JOURNAL: Neurology