Relationship between Body Composition and Functional Outcomes in Males with Subacute Stroke

The purpose of this study was to investigate body composition focusing on motor functional capacity and to correlate body composition with functional outcomes with subacute stroke patients. The subjects of this study were 34 inpatients with hemiparetic stroke who could walk. Motor functional capacity of patients was assessed on the basis of the Brunnstrom recovery stage (BRS), and functional status was measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument scores and gait velocity. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Significant correlations were observed between FIM scores and the BRS of the lower extremity or lean body mass. The correlations for body water in affected and unaffected legs with the FIM subscores were statistically significant (p<0.05). The correlations for the FIM scores with BRS and body water were higher in the lower extremity than in the upper extremity. Differences in body composition were calculated between the affected and unaffected sides. There was no significant difference in body water between the affected leg and the unaffected leg, but body water in the affected arm was lower than that in the unaffected arm (p<0.01). These results suggest that motor function capacity and body composition are generally related with functional status rather than the lower extremity or upper extremity.