Manuscript submission / Evaluation
Click here to download Turk J Phys Med Rehab's ENDNOTE Style File
Authors :
Title :
Summary :
Keyword :
Open Access
Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2019 , Vol 65 , Num 3

Functionality of patients with post-stroke hemiplegia: Does serum folate level matter?

İlke Coşkun Benlidayı 1 ,Sibel Başaran 1
1 Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Adana, Turkey DOI : 10.5606/tftrd.2019.2912 Objectives: This study aims to investigate the possible effects of folate on the functional outcomes of patients with post-stroke hemiplegia.

Patients and methods: Between January 2012 and March 2015, a total of 80 patients with hemiplegia (51 males, 29 females; mean age 60.3±13.2 years; range, 19 to 95 years) at least three months post-stroke were included in this study. Serum folate levels (ng/mL), Brunnstrom recovery stages of the lower limb, and Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) scores were recorded. All patients were divided into two groups according to the Brunnstrom stages (Category I; Stage 1-3 and Category II; Stage 4-6) and FAC scores (non-functional ambulatory; score 0-2, functional ambulatory; score 3-5).

Results: The mean serum folate level of the patient group was 6.8±2.8 ng/mL. Serum folate levels differed significantly between the Brunnstrom categories with lower levels in patients with poorer motor recovery (Category I) (p=0.047). Folate levels were also lower in nonfunctional ambulatory patients than those in patients with functional ambulation (p=0.046).

Conclusion: Lower serum folate levels are associated with poorer ambulation potential and impaired lower limb motor recovery in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. Keywords : Folate, folic acid, hemiplegia, post-stroke hemiplegia, stroke