Scientists have developed a new web-based tool that may better predict whether a person will suffer a second stroke within 90 days of a first stroke, according to research published in the December 16, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"This is an important new tool because studies show that people who have a second stroke soon after a first stroke are more likely to die or have severe disability," said study author Hakan Ay, MD, with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. "This tool can help doctors identify people who are at high risk of having another stroke and need immediate evaluation based on information typically available at the time of initial evaluation."
For the study, researchers examined information from 1,458 people who experienced an ischemic stroke and were admitted to the hospital within 72 hours. Participants gave information about their medical history and underwent brain scans. After a three-month follow up involving 806 of the participants, 60 strokes had occurred. Of those, 30 strokes occurred within 14 days of the first stroke. The study found that the risk of recurrent stroke was 2.6 percent at 14 days and six percent at 90 days.