Sarcopenia more than doubles the odds of poor stroke recovery, and dementia alone did not predict readmission after rehabilitation

The edition in brief

A meta-analysis of 36 cohort studies found stroke patients with sarcopenia had higher odds of poor global functional outcome on the modified Rankin Scale (OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.95 to 3.03) and lower motor and cognitive scores; swallowing dysfunction was raised but not significantly (OR 1.45, 0.94 to 2.25). In 4,527 discharges home after short nursing-home rehabilitation stays, 15.8% were readmitted within 30 days, and a dementia diagnosis was not associated with readmission, while prior hospital visits and higher comorbidity were. Across three ageing cohorts with 19,310 participants, dual hearing and vision impairment was associated with depressive symptoms (pooled OR 1.73), partly mediated by lower social engagement and cognitive decline. A double-blind trial of topical pilocarpine for dry mouth in 92 frail or life-limited adults found no significant difference in xerostomia severity and was underpowered. A systematic review of 11 studies found evidence on delirium recovery interventions limited and heterogeneous.