Stroke is an acute event with long-term physical, psychological,
and social consequences.1 Although much has
been done to reverse the nihilism previously said to characterize
acute stroke care,2,3 long-term stroke care is underdeveloped.
4–6 The development of appropriate service provision
is limited by the lack of robust estimates of long-term
outcomes after stroke. Currently, data largely come from
short-term cohort studies with limited follow-up (usually up
to 1 year) and subject to selection bias because they are not
population-based. In population-based studies, quality of life
has been assessed between 2 and 21 years after stroke,7–12
activities of daily living up to 21 years in Auckland,7 up to 5
years in Perth, Australia,13 and 5 years in south London.