Financial toxicity in stroke patients: current status, influencing factors, and coping strategies: a review

BACKGROUND: With the global population growing and aging, the incidence of stroke shows a significant upward trend, imposing a heavy economic burden on public health systems and stroke survivors' families. Financial toxicity, as a key indicator that comprehensively quantifies objective financial expenditures and subjective psychological stress, is increasingly receiving attention from the academic community. Considering its close correlation with treatment adherence and quality of life in stroke survivors, early identification of financial toxicity is crucial for improving the long-term prognosis of stroke survivors. AIM: This review provides an overview, current research status, influencing factors, and countermeasures for the financial burden of stroke, aiming to provide a reference for future interventions to reduce this burden. METHODS: This study was performed in accordance with the PRISMA‑ScR guidelines. CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched using a combination of subject terms and free words to identify studies on the financial toxicity of stroke. Published literature was included, while studies without detailed data or only abstracts were excluded. Articles were screened by titles and abstracts, followed by full-text review. Basic characteristics, study design, and key outcomes were extracted, and the included studies were summarized and analyzed. CONCLUSION: The incidence of financial toxicity from stroke is high and often underestimated among stroke survivors. To effectively address this issue, comprehensive intervention measures are required to reduce the financial burden of stroke.