Dynamic changes and lifetime effect of functional disability profiles for stroke patients: real-world evidence from South Korea

Purpose: This work aimed to investigate the long-term dynamic changes of functional disabilities and estimate lifetime outcomes of different functional disabilities after a stroke, using real-world data from a nationally representative South Korean cohort. Methods: Patients aged 18 and above with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes were identified from the Korea Health Panel (KHP) data (2008–2018). Functional disabilities were repeatedly measured for patients aged 55 and over for the prevalence of disabilities associated with activities of daily living (ADL), and kernel smoothing means were estimated for each item. The lifetime survival function of stroke patients in Korea was adopted from another study utilizing the National Health Insurance Service of Korea’s national sample cohort. By multiplying the disability-free proportion with the survival function throughout life, disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) for each ADL item was estimated. The loss-of-DFLE was calculated by subtracting the DFLE from age-, sex-, and calendar year-matched referents simulated from Korean life tables. Results: The KHP dataset included 466 stroke patients. The overall functional disability needs increased over time after stroke diagnosis. DFLE was lowest for bathing (10.1 years for ischemic stroke and 12.8 years for hemorrhagic stroke), followed by those for dressing and washing. Loss-of-DFLE was highest for bathing for ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes (7.2 and 10.7 years, respectively), indicating that this task required the most assistance for stroke patients compared with the other tasks. DFLEs were slightly lower than the quality-adjusted life expectancy of stroke patients. Conclusion: Our findings provide valuable insights for resource allocation and policy decisions in long-term stroke care, potentially enhancing the quality of life for stroke survivors and caregivers.