Health
Stroke warnings mean treatment needed
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 28, 2005
Warning signs of an ischemic stroke could be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious brain damage, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8 Neurology.
Eighty percent of strokes are ischemic and often are preceded by a transient ischemic attack that typically lasts less than five minutes and doesn't cause injury.
The Neurology study examined 2,416 people who had experienced an ischemic stroke.
In 549 patients, TIAs were experienced before the ischemic stroke and, in most cases, occurred within the preceding seven days: 17% occurring on the day of the stroke, 9% on the previous day and 43% at some point in the previous seven days.
"We have known for some time that TIAs are often a precursor to a major stroke," said study author Peter M. Rothwell, MD, PhD, of Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, England. "What we haven't been able to determine is how urgently patients must be assessed following a TIA in order to receive the most effective preventive treatment."
The study indicates that treatments should be initiated within hours of a TIA to prevent a major attack and that clinical guidelines should be amended accordingly.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/03/28/hlbf0328.htm.
