Multidomain intervention for the prevention of cognitive decline after stroke - a pooled patient-level data analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The aim of this pooled patient-level data analysis was to test if multidomain interventions, addressing several modifiable vascular risk factors simultaneously, are more effective than usual post-stroke care for the prevention of cognitive decline after stroke.

METHODS: This pooled patient-level data analysis included two randomized controlled trials using a multidomain approach to target vascular risk factors in stroke patients and cognition as primary outcome. Changes from baseline to 12 months in the trail making test (TMT)-A, TMT-B and 10-words test were analysed using stepwise backward linear mixed models with study as random factor. Two analyses were based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle using different imputation approaches and one was based on complete cases.

RESULTS: Data from 322 patients (157 assigned to multidomain intervention and 165 to standard care) were analysed. Differences between randomization groups for TMT-A scores were found in one ITT model (P = 0.014) and approached significance in the second ITT model (P = 0.087) and for complete cases (P = 0.091). No significant intervention effects were found for any of the other cognitive variables.

CONCLUSION: We found indications that multidomain interventions compared with standard care can improve the scores in TMT-A at 1 year after stroke but not those for TMT-B or the 10-words test. These results have to be interpreted with caution due to the small number of patients.