Background: Depression after stroke occurs in 33% of individuals. It is grossly underdiagnosed and untreated.
Objective: The authors studied sex differences in the prevalence of post-stroke depression (PSD), which have not been adequately studied, and may have important implications for clinicians.
Method: The authors performed a systematic review of five databases of all observational studies that stratified data by sex, measuring the prevalence of PSD.
Results: Fifty-six publications, including 47 primary studies between 1982 and 2006, met eligibility criteria and were included in the review. A total of 75,131 subjects comprised these studies, with 11,910 women and 62,899 men.
Results: The prevalence of depression among women was higher in 35 studies. Moreover, the prevalence was generally higher among inpatient populations (both in acute-care and rehabilitation facilities) than in community-dwelling subjects.
Conclusions: PSD is highly prevalent in both sexes, but appears to be slightly more common among women than men. Untreated depression after stroke can lead to a reduced quality of life, poorer prognosis, and increased mortality. All stroke patients should be routinely screened for depression, and further research is needed to determine whether there are sex-specific differences in response to treatment.