Browse News Releases for Stroke News

Study Highlights: Survivors of small-artery strokes who lowered their systolic blood pressure below 130 mm Hg were less likely to suffer a hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) than those who lowered it to between 130 mm Hg and 149 mm Hg. There was no significant difference in the likelihood of clot-caused stroke with lower blood pressure. The lower blood pressure target was safe, though it did lead to more episodes of fainting.

Study Highlights: In patients who had endovascular therapy added to intravenous clot-busting drugs to restore blood flow after a stroke within seven hours, every 30-minute delay in breaking up the blood clot causing a stroke was associated with a 10 percent decrease in the chances of a good outcome. Time proved to be a critical factor in minimizing brain damage from a stroke regardless of other important factors, including stroke severity and pre-stroke disability.

Study Highlights: Surgery to improve blood flow to the brain does not reverse cognitive problems associated with low blood flow in patients who have experienced a stroke or mini-stroke. Although cognitive problems were worse in those with poorer blood flow, patients who received medical treatment plus cranial bypass surgery did no better than those who received medical treatment for diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure alone. New approaches are needed to treat this potentially reversible condition.

Study Highlights: Adding a second drug to aspirin therapy lowered the risk of a second stroke in the weeks after a clot caused minor stroke or TIA in Chinese patients. Patients who received clopidogrel in addition to aspirin were less likely than those on aspirin alone to have a stroke within three months of their first episode. Both drugs prevent platelets, a type of blood cell, from sticking together and forming clots, but no more bleeding occurred among those on dual therapy than in those on aspirin alone.

Study Highlights: In the first comparison of mechanical clot retrieval to standard medical care, mechanical devices showed no benefit over medications. Imaging techniques to measure the amount of salvageable brain tissue didn’t help predict which patients might benefit from mechanical clot removal. For stroke patients, getting proven emergency treatment quickly is most important.

Tip Highlights: Lowering blood pressure aggressively after bleeding stroke is safe. Robotic/biofeedback therapy improves function, reduces hand impairment after stroke. Magnetic brain stimulation relieves post-stroke pain.

Study Highlights: A minimally invasive surgery appears safe and may reduce long-term disability after a bleeding stroke. If the findings are confirmed in a larger study, the surgery would be a major advance for treating hemorrhagic stroke.

Study Highlights: Eating lots of Southern cuisine is linked to increased stroke risk. A Southern-style diet includes fried foods, organ meats, sugary drinks and a lot of salt. African-Americans are five times more likely to eat Southern foods, which may help explain their higher stroke risk.

Study Highlights: Stroke survivors are more likely to report recent suicidal thoughts or wish they were dead compared with individuals with previous heart attack, diabetes or cancer. Seven variables were important in predicting whether a person with stroke had recent suicidal thoughts: depression score, age, BMI, education level, socioeconomic status, gender and marital status.

Study Highlights: Infants and children who survive bleeding strokes may be prone to seizures and epilepsy within two years. Patients who had elevated pressure in the brain that required treatment were more likely to have later seizures or epilepsy.