Findings on Science Reported by Researchers at Graduate School of Medicine (Association Between Preadmission Care Need Level and Long-Term Outcomes in Older Patients With Stroke: The LIFE Study): Science

2026 MAR 19 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Japan Daily Report -- Research findings on Science are discussed in a new report. According to news originating from Suita, Japan, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability, significantly impairing quality of life. In Japan’s aging society, premorbid functional decline is often already present at the time of illness or injury, potentially influencing prognosis, particularly long-term outcomes.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the Graduate School of Medicine, “This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term care insurance (LTCI) care need levels (CNLs) before admission and 3-year postdischarge mortality among older patients with stroke. Retrospective observational cohort study. This study used health care and LTCI claims data from 15 Japanese municipalities participating in the Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence (LIFE) study. Patients aged 65 years hospitalized for stroke were included. Based on preadmission LTCI CNL, patients were categorized into 4 groups: no care needs, support level (SL) and CNL1 (lowest care level), CNL2-3, and CNL4-5 (highest care level). The primary outcome was 3-year all-cause mortality after discharge. Cumulative incidence rates were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods. The association between baseline LTCI CNL and mortality was evaluated using a multivariable Cox regression model, with adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% CIs calculated. Among 104,795 patients with stroke, 24,839 met the eligibility criteria for analysis. Compared to patients without care needs, the risk of all-cause mortality was higher in the other 3 groups and increased with higher baseline LTCI CNL (SL and CNL1: aHR 1.63, 95% CI 1.52-1.76; CNL2-3: aHR 2.59, 95% CI 2.38-2.81; CNL4-5: aHR 3.64, 95% CI 3.31-4.01; P for trend < .001). Higher preadmission LTCI CNL was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality after discharge in older patients hospitalized for stroke. LTCI CNL may serve as a practical indicator for identifying patients at high mortality risk.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Understanding how pre-stroke functional status influences long-term survival may provide valuable information for early clinical decision making in stroke treatment.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Association Between Preadmission Care Need Level and Long-Term Outcomes in Older Patients With Stroke: The LIFE Study. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2026:106165. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Journal of the American Medical Directors Association - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-the-american-medical-directors-association/)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Haruka Shida, Public Health, Dept. of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Osaka, Suita, Japan. Additional authors for this research include Atsushi Hirayama, Tetsuhisa Kitamura, Megumi Maeda, Futoshi Oda, Haruhisa Fukuda and Ryo Kawasaki.

The publisher’s contact information for the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association is: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

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