Vegetative state in two Italian residential facilities: study of prognosis for subjects and related caregivers.
Saved in:
| Title: | Vegetative state in two Italian residential facilities: study of prognosis for subjects and related caregivers. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Pupillo, Elisabetta (AUTHOR), Magnoni, Andrea (AUTHOR), Tinti, Lorenzo (AUTHOR), Sassi, Serena (AUTHOR), Monti, Ambrogio (AUTHOR), Barbieri, Jessica (AUTHOR), Millul, Andrea (AUTHOR), Aldeghi, Maria Rita (AUTHOR), Bianchi, Elisa (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Neurological Sciences. Aug2025, Vol. 46 Issue 8, p3899-3907. 9p. |
| Subjects: | Long-term care facilities, Disease risk factors, Medical sciences, Ischemic stroke, Cerebral hemorrhage |
| Abstract: | Background: Vegetative state (VS) is a severe disturbance of consciousness, often caused by cerebral insults, with limited long-term prognosis data. Study objective: to provide a detailed picture of a cohort of patients treated at 2 long-term care facilities in Lombardy starting from 2014. Methods: Multicentric observational study. Subjects who met the diagnostic criteria for VS were admitted. A caregiver was identified for each patient and filled two questionnaires to evaluate quality of life (SF-36) and need for psychological support (FSQ-30). Results: The study included 146 patients (median age: 61.8 years at admission, 60.4 at the event that caused VS). Non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage was the leading cause of VS (41%), followed by traumatic (19%) and anoxic brain injury (17%), and ischemic stroke (6.8%). The cumulative mortality was 10% at 1 year, 24% at 2 years, 43% at 5 years, 69% at 10 years, and 88% at 15 years after the event that caused VS, with age (HR 1.03) and ischemic stroke (HR 2.86) as risk factors. Among 24 caregivers, 50% had FSQ-30 score suggesting recommended psychological support (R area), 33% were in the SR area (strongly recommended), and 13% in the U area (urgent need). Females had worse FSQ-30 and SF-36 scores than males, particularly in the mental health index (median 60 vs. 74) and mental component scale (45.3 vs. 53.2). Conclusions: Hemorrhages were found to be the most common cause of VS, differing from previous studies that identified trauma as the primary cause. Caregivers exhibited significant psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Neurological Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | Background: Vegetative state (VS) is a severe disturbance of consciousness, often caused by cerebral insults, with limited long-term prognosis data. Study objective: to provide a detailed picture of a cohort of patients treated at 2 long-term care facilities in Lombardy starting from 2014. Methods: Multicentric observational study. Subjects who met the diagnostic criteria for VS were admitted. A caregiver was identified for each patient and filled two questionnaires to evaluate quality of life (SF-36) and need for psychological support (FSQ-30). Results: The study included 146 patients (median age: 61.8 years at admission, 60.4 at the event that caused VS). Non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage was the leading cause of VS (41%), followed by traumatic (19%) and anoxic brain injury (17%), and ischemic stroke (6.8%). The cumulative mortality was 10% at 1 year, 24% at 2 years, 43% at 5 years, 69% at 10 years, and 88% at 15 years after the event that caused VS, with age (HR 1.03) and ischemic stroke (HR 2.86) as risk factors. Among 24 caregivers, 50% had FSQ-30 score suggesting recommended psychological support (R area), 33% were in the SR area (strongly recommended), and 13% in the U area (urgent need). Females had worse FSQ-30 and SF-36 scores than males, particularly in the mental health index (median 60 vs. 74) and mental component scale (45.3 vs. 53.2). Conclusions: Hemorrhages were found to be the most common cause of VS, differing from previous studies that identified trauma as the primary cause. Caregivers exhibited significant psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 15901874 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10072-025-08205-8 |
