Copenhagen, March 16, 2012: Stroke survivors who love art have a significantly higher quality of life than those who do not, according to new research. Patients who have enjoyed the music, painting and theater recovered most of their stroke than patients who did not.

The research was presented at the annual spring meeting on cardiovascular nursing 12, March 16-17, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the Western world and the leading cause of disability in adults. More and more seniors who are currently racing and recovery. “We know that every six seconds, there is a person affected by the stroke in the world,” said lead author Dr. Ercole Vellone, assistant professor ofnursing at the School of Nursing, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.”Identifying strategies to improve recovery from stroke and the quality of life for patients is a priority for the health care system and the art exhibition looks promising.”

For research (NPF 38), 192 stroke survivors (mean age 70 years) were asked if they liked or disliked the art (music, painting, theater). Quality of life was compared for patients interested in art (105) and patients are not interested in art(87).