State-of-the-Science Stroke Nursing Symposium - NEWS TIPS

American Stroke Association Meeting Report - Embargoed until 11 a.m. HT/4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February, 5, 2013

Tip Highlights:

• Many African-Americans with family history of stroke don’t acknowledge risks
• Behavioral changes often occur in children after stroke

NOTE ALL TIMES ARE HAWAII (HT). ALL TIPS ARE EMBARGOED UNTIL THE TIME OF PRESENTATION OR 11 A.M. HT/4 P.M. ET EACH DAY, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. For more information Feb. 5-8, call the ASA News Media Staff Office at the Hawaii Convention Center: (808) 792-6506. Before or after these dates, call the Communications Office in Dallas at (214) 706-1173. For public inquiries, call (800) AHA-USA1 (242-8721).

11 a.m. HT/4 p.m. ET - Abstract NS6
Many African-Americans with family history of stroke don’t acknowledge risks
Many young to middle-aged African-Americans with a family history of stroke don’t think they’re at higher risk and may not takes steps to prevent it, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s State-of-the-Science Stroke Nursing Symposium.

Researchers asked 66 African-Americans 19-54 years old (71 percent female) from the stroke belt region in Alabama about their perceptions of stroke risk, lifestyles, health history and more. They found:

• Those with a family history of stroke didn’t differ on average number of risk factors compared to those without a family history of stroke. However, they were more likely (67 percent) to report a history of hypertension.
• Knowledge of stroke risk factors, perceived stroke threat and recent exercise performance were about the same for those with a family history of stroke and those without a family history.
• Those with a family history also had notably lower future intentions to exercise compared to those without a family history.

Interventions that personalize family history as a key risk factor and promote lifestyle change and self-management may play an important role in preventing stroke, researchers said.

Note: Actual presentation is 3:35 p.m. HT, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013.

11 a.m. HT/4 p.m. ET - Abstract NS15
Behavioral changes affect many children after stroke
Behavioral changes, including emotional issues and depression, often affect children after stroke, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s State-of-the-Science Stroke Nursing Symposium.

Researchers studied 105 children 2-18 years old who had suffered arterial ischemic stroke, a type of stroke in which blood flow to the brain is blocked. They analyzed the children’s behavior at 3 and 12 months after stroke by surveying parents and conducting brain imaging.

They found:

• Forty-two percent experienced emotional changes at 3 months and 36 percent at 12 months.
• Fourteen percent reported depressive symptoms at 3 and 12 months.
• Emotional changes at 3 months resolved at 12 months for 30 percent of the children. But 15 percent of the children who didn’t report emotional changes at 3 months developed them within a year.
• Symptoms of depression resolved at 12 months in 58 percent who had symptoms at 3 months, while 8.3 percent of those without symptoms at 3 months reported depressive symptoms at a year.

Brain imaging didn’t help predict which children would suffer behaviorally.

Children who survive stroke should be assessed for behavioral difficulties and their parents should be educated about potential emotional effects as their children recover, researchers said.

Note: Actual presentation is 1:30 p.m. HT, Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013.

Follow news from the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2013 via Twitter @HeartNews; #ISC13.

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ASA News Media in Dallas: (214) 706-1173
ASA News Media Office, Feb. 6-8
at the Hawaii Convention Center: (808) 792-6506
For Public Inquiries: (800) AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and strokeassociation.org