Individuals with stroke three months after hospital discharge reported worse quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: To compare quality of life (QOL) of individuals with stroke three months after hospital discharge, using generic and specific QOL measures, before and dur-ing the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Individuals, who were admitted to a public hospital, were recruited and evaluated before (G1) and during (G2) the COVID-19 pandemic. The groups were matched for age, sex, socio-economic status, and levels of stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) and functional depen-dence (Modified Barthel Index). After three months of hospital discharge, they were evaluated and compared using generic (Short-form Health Survey 36: SF-36) and specific (Stroke Specific Quality of Life: SSQOL) QOL measures. Results: Seventy individuals were included (35 in each group). Statistically significant between -group differences were found for both total SF-36 (p=0.008) and SSQOL (p=0.001) scores, indicating that individuals reported worse QOL during the COVID-19 pan-demic. Furthermore, G2 also reported worse generic QOL related to the SF-36 domains of physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perception, and emo-tional role limitations (p < 0.01) and worse specific QOL related to following SSQOL domains: Family roles, mobility, mood, personality, and social roles (p < 0.05). Finally, G2 reported better QOL related to energy and thinking (p < 0.05) SSQOL domains. Conclusion: In general, individuals with stroke, who were evaluated during the COVID-19 pandemic three months after hospital dis-charge, reported worse perceptions of QOL in several domains of both generic and specific QOL measures.