Introduction: Post-stroke depression (PSD), one of the most common complications following stroke, affects approximately one-third of stroke patients and is significantly associated with increased disability and mortality as well as decreased quality of life, which makes it an important public health concern. Treatment of PSD significantly ameliorates depressive symptoms and improves the prognosis of stroke.
Areas covered: The authors discuss the critical aspects of the clinical application of prediction and preventive treatment of PSD. Then, the authors update the biological factors associated with the onset of PSD. Furthermore, they summarize the recent progress in pharmacological preventive treatment in clinical trials and propose potential treatment targets. The authors also discuss the current roadblocks in the preventive treatment of PSD. Finally, the authors put postulate potential directions for future studies so as to discover accurate predictors and provide individualized preventive treatment.
Expert opinion: Sorting out high-risk PSD patients using reliable predictors will greatly assist PSD management. Indeed, some predictors not only predict the incidence of PSD but also predict prognosis, which indicates that they might also aid the development of an individualized treatment scheme. Preventive application of antidepressants may also be considered.
Keywords: Post-stroke depression; antidepressants; biological factors; pediction; preventive treatment.