A recent scientific statement by the American Heart Association shows that over half of people who have had a stroke may have trouble thinking within a year after their stroke. Additionally, 1 out of 3 stroke survivors may have a higher risk of developing dementia within 5 years. The American Heart Association has published a… Continue reading Cognitive impairment after stroke is common, and early diagnosis and treatment needed
Category: Stroke
Medicine to Protect the Post-Stroke Brain
The neuroprotectant ApTOLL, a medication that may shield the brain from tissue damage, was linked to reduced death and disability among people being treated for stroke when used with standard treatments to restore blood flow, according to preliminary late-breaking science presented today at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2023. The meeting, held in… Continue reading Medicine to Protect the Post-Stroke Brain
Many patients receive too little rehab therapy following stroke, study finds
Many patients don’t receive much rehabilitation therapy following a stroke, despite strong evidence that higher amounts can reduce long-term disability, according to a new UCLA-led study that tracked over 500 patients across 28 acute care hospitals in their first year following a stroke. The new research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Stroke, is the first… Continue reading Many patients receive too little rehab therapy following stroke, study finds
Study: Smartphones Can Detect Stroke Risk
Motion analysis of video recorded on a smartphone accurately detected narrowed arteries in the neck, which are a risk factor for stroke, according to new research published in July 2022 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Fatty deposits (plaque) can accumulate in arteries causing them to narrow (stenosis). Narrowed arteries in the carotid… Continue reading Study: Smartphones Can Detect Stroke Risk
Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors
Stroke survivors were more likely to continue cigarette smoking than cancer survivors, raising the risk that they will have more health problems or die from a subsequent stroke or heart disease, according to new research published in November 2021 in Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association.… Continue reading Smoking And Older Stroke Survivors
Five Ways to Reduce Stroke Risk
Strokes don’t discriminate — they can happen to anyone, at any age. And they don’t stop because of a pandemic. About one in four people worldwide have a stroke — the world’s No. 2 killer and a leading cause of disability. But up to 80% may be prevented. That’s why the American Stroke Association (ASA),… Continue reading Five Ways to Reduce Stroke Risk
An Unexpected Discovery about Hyperglycemia
A new study has found that aggressive treatments of high post-stroke blood sugar levels brings no better results than standard approaches. Hyperglycemia, or high levels of glucose, is common in patients with acute ischemic stroke and is associated with worse outcomes compared to normal blood sugar levels. Animal studies also pointed to an effect of… Continue reading An Unexpected Discovery about Hyperglycemia
A Post-Stroke Vaccine That Could Save Lives
A vaccine may someday replace oral blood thinners to reduce the risk of secondary strokes, researchers say. The discovery was published in the American Heart Association’s journal Hypertension. People who have had a stroke caused by a blood clot (ischemic strokes) often need to take oral medications that make their blood less likely to clot,… Continue reading A Post-Stroke Vaccine That Could Save Lives
Stroke Symptoms You Should Never Ignore
Let’s be honest: When people hear someone has suffered a cardiovascular incident, they rarely imagine it’s a woman in her 40s or 50s. More often, they imagine an elderly man clutching his chest on the way to his grandkid’s baseball game or on a grocery run for his wife. Hollywood may be to blame for… Continue reading Stroke Symptoms You Should Never Ignore
Childhood Height Linked to Adult Stroke Risk
Being a short child is associated with increased risk of having a stroke in adulthood, according to Danish research published in Stroke, an American Heart Association journal. A prospective study examined data on more than 300,000 Danish schoolchildren – born between 1930-1989 who were examined at ages 7, 10 and 13. Researchers noted that boys… Continue reading Childhood Height Linked to Adult Stroke Risk
CDC: Progress in Preventing Stroke Deaths Has Slowed
Some sobering statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about stroke, a frequently fatal condition in which blood flow to the brain is interrupted, depriving the brain of essential oxygen. After more than four decades of decline, progress has slowed in preventing stroke deaths, according to the latest Vital Signs report by… Continue reading CDC: Progress in Preventing Stroke Deaths Has Slowed
Why Some Stroke Survivors Won’t Take Statins
Stroke survivors often steer clear of statins because of negative news about the medicines’ side effects, and because of their own bad experiences. However, the drugs are potentially lifesaving. Individuals who have had a stroke are at risk of a second stroke, which carries a greater risk of disability and death than first time strokes.… Continue reading Why Some Stroke Survivors Won’t Take Statins
Extra Weight and Stroke Survival
Although obesity increases the risk for both stroke and death, new research indicates that people who are overweight or even mildly obese survive strokes at a higher rate than those with a normal weight. The findings, which appear in the Journal of the American Heart Association, add to the ‘obesity paradox’ seen in previous studies… Continue reading Extra Weight and Stroke Survival
Aphasia May Be More than A Language Disorder
Aphasia, a language disorder commonly diagnosed in stroke patients, may not be just a language issue, according to a Penn State study. The study adds to a growing body of research highlighting other cognitive functions affected by aphasia, and indicates that the consequences of brain damage in aphasia patients may be more extensive than originally… Continue reading Aphasia May Be More than A Language Disorder
Boomers’ Stroke Rates Dropping While Millennials’ Rates Double
Stroke rates continue to decline in people 55 and older, while more than doubling in those between 35 and 39, according to research published in November 2016 inJournal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. A release from the association quotes Joel N. Swerdel, M.S., M.P.H.,… Continue reading Boomers’ Stroke Rates Dropping While Millennials’ Rates Double
Minorities, Women, & the Elderly Less Likely to Receive Life-Saving Stroke Treatment
Minorities and women suffering from a stroke may be less likely to receive the clot-busting treatment tPA, known as tissue plasminogen activator, according to a 2016 study from Penn Medicine and other institutions published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. A release from Penn Medicine reports… Continue reading Minorities, Women, & the Elderly Less Likely to Receive Life-Saving Stroke Treatment
Longer, Intense Rehab Boosts Recovery After Stroke and Brain Injury
Cognitive and functional recovery after a stroke or traumatic injury requires intense rehabilitative therapy to help the brain repair and restructure itself. February 2016 findings by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that not only is rehabilitation vital – in an animal model, rats with cortical injury that did not… Continue reading Longer, Intense Rehab Boosts Recovery After Stroke and Brain Injury
Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Had a Constant Headache for Two Weeks and Her Pupils Are Not the Same Size, Third Week
Editor’s note: Welcome to our ThirdAge feature that gives you a chance to play medical sleuth as we share the details of what happened when a patient presented with a problem that stumped the physician at first. The first week of this riddle, the patient reported her symptoms to her PCP. The doctor proceeded with… Continue reading Solve the Medical Riddle: She Has Had a Constant Headache for Two Weeks and Her Pupils Are Not the Same Size, Third Week