Dr. Pasquale Fonzetti, associate director of the memory evaluation and treatment service (METS) at The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, co-authored a research article about treating depression in stroke patients.
The study found that treatment with the drug escitalopram (brand name Lexapro) over the first year following acute stroke decreased the number of post-stroke depression cases. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday.
For the past six years, Dr. Fonzetti, a neurologist, has focused on trials that test medications and rehabilitation methods for neurological conditions and disorders like stroke.
“This study was undertaken because prevention of post-stroke depression is an important medical goal,†he said. “The annual incidence of stroke is more than 700,000 in the United States, and of those stroke patients, more than half will experience post-stroke depression. The evidence demonstrates that post-stroke depression is associated with impaired recovery of daily living activities and increased mortality.â€
The randomized controlled trial was conducted from July 9, 2003 to October 1, 2007 with 176 patients. Read the article HERE.
The post Burke doctor published in JAMA appeared first on To Your Health.