Stroke News and Research

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A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to your brain stops. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. There are two kinds of stroke. The more common kind, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The other kind, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain. "Mini-strokes" or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), occur when the blood supply to the brain is briefly interrupted.

Public health advisory for the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug products

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Public Health Advisory summarizing the agency's recent recommendations concerning the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug products (NSAIDs), including those known as COX-2 selective agents.

23 Dec 2004

First assessment tool to evaluate Quebec Platelet Disorder (QPD)

Researchers at McMaster University have developed the first assessment tool of its kind for evaluating risks faced by Canadians suffering from a rare and often fatal bleeding disorder.

22 Dec 2004

Write to your MPs, BMA tells doctors

BMA Cymru Wales is calling on doctors across Wales to write to their members of parliament to support a ban on smoking in public places.

22 Dec 2004

Study evaluates new stroke prevention treatment

Doctors at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center are evaluating a new treatment designed to prevent strokes caused by a small heart defect.

21 Dec 2004

Arthritis drug caution advised by New Zealand experts

An expert New Zealand committee reviewing the safety of a group of arthritis drugs called COX-2 inhibitors has reinforced UK advice cautioning against their routine use where safe and effective alternatives are available.

21 Dec 2004

New way to reduce fat and cholesterol levels in the body

Just in time for the holidays, McGill researchers have identified a new way to reduce fat and cholesterol levels in the body. Their program, which combines consuming plant-derived sterols (or oils) with exercise, may benefit those who are at risk of coronary heart disease.

21 Dec 2004

Out-of-office blood pressure readings help predict CVD risk

Blood pressure readings taken at home with approved devices can be a useful addition to blood pressure management, and may even predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk better than readings from the doctor’s office alone, according to a scientific statement issued today by the American Heart Association.

21 Dec 2004

Biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals

In a newly reported, first-ever finding, physicists from Boston University and physiologists from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that the body’s biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals independent of sleep/wake cycle or other behavior influences.

21 Dec 2004

Push for mandatory health warnings on all alcohol products

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Bill Glasson, said today the AMA is calling on the Australian Federal Government to legislate for health warnings on all alcohol products.

21 Dec 2004

New advice on anti-inflammatory drugs called Cox-2 Inhibitors, including Celebrex

Patients who are taking Celebrex, Bextra and Arcoxia should make a non-urgent appointment with their GP to review their treatment. Patients who have established heart disease or who are at high risk of stroke will have their treatment changed.

21 Dec 2004

Stem cells use inflammatory signals to find injured tissue

A joint effort led by stem cell biologist Evan Y. Snyder, M.D., Ph.D., of The Burnham Institute, and Samia J. Khoury, M.D., of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, report data suggesting that stem cells use inflammatory signals to “know” where they must home.

20 Dec 2004

Advice for patients who have been taking Celebrex or Bextra

The recent announcement that Celebrex, a popular pain drug in the same family as Vioxx, has been found to pose an increased risk of heart problems is bound to leave many pain patients stunned, confused and worried.

20 Dec 2004

Low-dose diuretic therapy for most patients with hypertension recommended

Patients with high blood pressure who take calcium channel blockers and diuretics have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) death compared to patients who take beta-blockers plus diuretics, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

16 Dec 2004

New clue to nerve growth may help regeneration efforts

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered how one family of proteins repels growing nerves and keeps them properly on track during development.

16 Dec 2004

Migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke than those who don't experience migraines

In the first review of its kind, researchers in Canada and the US looked at 14 studies which investigated an association between stroke and migraine. They found that the risk of stroke for migraine sufferers was 2.16 times that for non-sufferers.

13 Dec 2004

New insight into anticoagulation therapies

Anticoagulation therapies, or treatments that reduce the amount of clotting factors in the blood, are quite common and used for a variety of reasons.

6 Dec 2004

New advances in sickle cell disease

Excruciating pain episodes, recurrent pneumonias, strokes, severe infections, chronic hemolytic anemia, and secondary pulmonary hypertension are common complications of sickle cell disease, a life-threatening inherited defect in blood that causes normally disc-shaped red blood cells to take on a sickle shape.

6 Dec 2004

Children with sickle cell disease who are at risk for a stroke need ongoing blood transfusions to reduce their risk

“This important study shows the value of continuing periodic blood transfusions in preventing the serious and debilitating consequences of stroke,” says NHLBI Acting Director Barbara Alving. “At the same time, there are risks of chronic transfusions and the decision to continue with this treatment must be made on a case-by-case basis.”

6 Dec 2004

Hydroxyurea plus aspirin best therapy in patients with essential thrombocythemia who are at high risk for vascular events

A new treatment for an incurable blood disorder proves a worse option for patients' health than an older treatment, according to a study to be presented today during the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH).

5 Dec 2004

Life expectancy at 65 is now 81.6 years for men and 84.5 for women

The nation’s medicine cabinets are more crowded than ever, with almost half of all people taking at least one prescription medicine and one in six taking three or more medications, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ annual check-up on Americans’ health.

4 Dec 2004