e-Table 2. Summary of studies assessing differences in QOL after stroke in men and women

Reference number / Total n / Time post-stroke / QOL scale / Adjustment variables / Gender difference / Comments
5 / 373 / 90 days / Stroke-Specific QOL / Age, race, stroke subtype / Women worse in Physical Function, Thinking, Language, and Energy / Interactions found between sex and prior stroke for Mood, Role Function, Summary score
6 / 1268 / 180 days / SF-36 / Age, baseline SBP, stroke severity, premorbid mRS and residency, hx of MI, stroke type, treatment group / Women worse in physical function and mental health after adjustment / Women had worse mRS and BI scores than men
7 / 496 / 6 to 8 wks / Nottingham Health Profile / age / Women worse in all domains except social / Women with TIA worse than men
8 / 60 / 6 months / Nottingham Health Profile / None / Women scored worse in energy, pain, and physical mobility domains
9 / 237 (IS and ICH) / 1 and 5 yrs / AQoL to assign weights for QALYs / No adjustment for the index QOL / Women had fewer QALYs than men under age 75
10 / 188 / 2-3 wks / HRQoL / Depression, P-QPD, BI, FAI, age, education, living status, LOS / Female gender associated with worse physical function after adjustment (but p=0.1) / Depressive symptoms assoc. with worse function in all physical and mental domains
11 / 528 / 1 yr / EQ5D / Age, education, side of lesion, LOS, urinary catheter, neurologic impairments, MMSE / Gender independently assoc with lower EQ5D index, and anxiety/depression domain
12 / 328 / 7 yrs / AQoL / Barthel ADLs, IADLs, handicap, depression, anxiety, recurrent stroke / Female gender independently associated with worse QOL / Proxy QOL assessments included
13 / 164 / 9.8 months (mean f/u) / Sickness Impact Profile / Neuropsychological test results / Women were independently more likely to have poor QOL / Trailmaking test B was associated with poor QOL
14 / 237 / Unknown / SF-36 / Age, stroke severity, disability, education, household income / Women worse than men in the Physical Health Summary Score only
2 / 266 / 2 yrs / AQoL / Handicap, disability, physical impairment, depression, anxiety, recurrent stroke, living arrangements / Women had worse QOL after adjustment / Age, initial NIHSS, dementia, anxiety, depression, low socioeconomic status, neglect all independently associated
3 / 397 / 1 yr / SF36 / MMSE, demographic, stroke risk factors, neurologic impairments / Women had worse physical health summary scores after adjustment / At 3 yrs, hypertension, urinary incontinence, and cognitive impairment were predictors
15 / 85 / 3 and 12 months / RAND 36-item Health Survey / Age, depression, marital status, stroke severity, / No difference in QOL by gender / Depression was independent predictor of impaired QOL
16 / 136 / 9-12 months and mean of 1,231 days (3.4 yrs) later / SF-12 and Physical Component Summary / Stroke type, location, race, education, living status, income, depression / No difference in QOL by gender / Matched stroke-free controls by age, gender, race, and living situation
17 / 105 / 3 and 12 months / SSQOL-DK / Stroke type, antidepressant use, sociodemo-graphics / Males more likely to report deterioration in QOL from 3 to 12 months
18 / 304 / 4 and 16 months / SF-36 / Depression, functional status, education / Worse scores in men

Legend: QOL = Quality of life; SF-36 = Short Form 36; SBP = Systolic blood pressure; MI = myocardial infarction; mRS = modified Rankin Score; BI = Barthel Index; SSQOL = Stroke-Specific quality of life; AQoL = Assessment of QOL; P-QPD = Patient’s Questionnaire about Participation in Discharge Planning; HRQOL = Health related QOL; SF-12 = Short Form 12; MMSE = Mini-mental status examination; ADLs = Activities of daily living; IADLs = Instrumental activities of daily living; EQ5D = EuroQOL-5-D; TIA = Transient ischemic attack; QALY = Quality adjusted life-year; FAI = Frenchay Activities Index; LOS = Length of stay; SSQOL-DK = Stroke specific QOL-Danish version.