Frequency and characteristics of chronic stroke

Frequency

The incidence of ischemic stroke by age doubles almost every 10 years: at age 45, approximately 17 out of 100,000 are affected per year, among those > 85 years old 1,034 out of 100,000 per year.

Characteristics of stroke

Paralysis of the mouth, an arm or a leg, or even one side of the body, loss of sensitivity in the face, an arm or a leg, speech problems with difficulty articulating , find the words or understand them.

Spontaneous evolution

Around a third of patients with a stroke have a moderate disability that allows them to return home, possibly with outside help. A third of patients recover completely.

These are the research results of HBOT in stroke

• 1980: HBOT improved quality of life in 62 percent of 79 patients 5 months to 10 years after stroke
• 2013: The results of this randomized trial suggest that HBOT can lead to significant neurological improvements in post-stroke patients, even in chronic late stages.
• 2013: Although many participants suffering from different chronic brain pathologies reported improvement in symptoms (51% memory, 51% attention/concentration, 48% balance/coordination, 45% endurance, 20% sleep) after HBO2 and 93% said they would rejoin the study would, standardized tests did not show clinically meaningful improvement.
• 2015: In this retrospective study, the improvement in patients’ memory correlated well with an improvement in brain metabolism, especially in the temporal areas.
• 2015: The effectiveness of the combination HBOT + fluoxetine was higher than therapy with fluoxetine alone in post-stroke depression.
• 2015: Years later, HBOT may improve chronic cognitive impairment in patients following cardiac arrest.
• 2018: HBOT improved cognitive and executive functions as well as physical abilities, especially improved gait, in 7 patients. Participants reported improvements in sleep and quality of life.
  
  

  And here are more recent findings
  

• 2020: HBOT and rehabilitation improved the condition of more than half of 44 patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• 2020: In 86% of 162 chronic stroke patients, HBOT, even in the late chronic stage, led to significant improvements in all cognitive domains.
• 2020: Large volume of penumbra area around the stroke zone may serve as an important predictor of positive clinical outcome of HBOT.
• 2020: HBOT combined with an upper limb rehabilitation program and mental imagery is feasible and safe in chronic stroke patients. This combined approach revealed trends for improved functional recovery.
• 2020: HBOT achieved slightly better results than classic antidepressants in the treatment of depression after stroke. Additionally, the HBOT group reported fewer side effects.
• 2020: With HBOT, all patients reported clinical improvement, particularly in terms of language skills and motor paresis. The fMRI analysis confirmed the brain improvement.
• 2022: HBOT can promote the recovery of neurological function in patients with post-stroke depression and significantly improve patients’ depressive state and sleep quality.
• 2022: HBOT reduces programmed death of neural stem cells after a stroke.
• 2023: HBOT can significantly improve depressive symptoms and neurological dysfunction in depressed diabetics after a stroke.
• 2023: In this case, functional MRI allows a better understanding of the plasticity of the brain and the recovery process from paralysis after a stroke.
• 2023: Our own study on 10 consecutive cases shows that patients suffering from after-effects of stroke are very motivated by HBOT and ready to daily travel long distances.

Practical use of HBOT

HBOT is not indicated for the acute stages but can be prescribed from 3 months after the stroke. The exact dose is not known but we know that 40 to 60 consecutive sessions are required.