Behavior of the patients with cerebrovascular disease at the Rehabilitation Service of the Military Hospital of Matanzas

Abstract

The cerebrovascular disease is the third cause of death in the world and one of the main disability causes. A descriptive study was conducted in the Rehabilitation Service of the Military Hospital of Matanzas, with the objective of describing the behaviour of the patients with cerebrovascular diseases assisted there from January 2011 to June of 2012.  The variables used were: sex, age, type of encephalic vascular accident, personal pathological history,  complications in the rehabilitation, modalities of the rehabilitative treatment, time of evolution, grade of disability to carry out the daily life activities (Barthel Index). The cerebrovascular disease was predominant in the female sex; the average age was 68,6 years. A higher incidence of the ischemic encephalic vascular accidents was proved. The painful shoulder and spasticity were identified as the most frequent complications. The most used modalities of treatment were the kinesiotherapy and ambulation. The gain in the Barthel Index was bigger in patients with less than three months of evolution.