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Abstract
Patients who have had a stroke are susceptible to many complications. These individuals
commonly have comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or other
ailments that increase the risks of systemic medical complications during stroke recovery.
However, several complications can arise as a direct consequence of the brain injury
itself, from the ensuing disabilities or immobility, or from stroke-related treatments.
These events have a substantial effect on the final outcome of patients with stroke
and often impede neurological recovery. Cardiac complications, pneumonias, venous
thromboembolism, fever, pain, dysphagia, incontinence, and depression are particularly
common after a stroke and usually require specific interventions for their prevention
and treatment. However, there are few data to guide the management of these complications.
Systematic investigations are therefore needed to further study the effects of medical
complications on stroke recovery and to improve interventions for the prevention and
treatment of these events.
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