Community pharmacists are important in helping older adults reduce their risk of stroke by prescribing the right medicine. A study published on July 24 in JAMA Network Open shows this.
Stroke
Strokes are classified as a group of brain disorders involving a loss of functions (neurologic deficits) that occur when the blood supply to any part of the brain is interrupted. Even a brief interruption to the circulation can cause decreases in brain function. The specific neurologic deficits may vary depending on the location, extent of the damage, and cause of the disorder. A stroke affects about 4 out of 1,000 people.
Midlife fitness lowers stroke risks later in life
The more fit you are in your midlife, the less likely you are to have a stroke after age 65, says researcher Ambarish Pandey, M.D.,
Lower systolic blood pressure reduces stroke risk
Lower systolic blood pressure reduces risk of stroke – Older people with systolic blood pressure lower than 140 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) have a lower risk of stroke, revealed in a study study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2015.
Acupuncture contralateral needling helps post stroke hemiplegia
Contralateral needling at unblocked collaterals for post-stroke hemiplegia – Hemiplegia caused by stroke indicates the dysfunctions of the neurological network between the brain and limbs. Under this condition, conventional acupuncture at the acupoints on the affected side can not transmit stimulus signal to the brain.
Diabetic stroke risk after AMI drops in 10 year period
Diabetic stroke risk after AMI drops in 10 year period – At the ESC Congress researchers reveal that reperfusion therapy and secondary prevention drugs produced the decline and brought stroke risk after AMI closer to that of non-diabetics.
Blocked heart arteries can cause stroke
Clogged heart arteries can foreshadow stroke — American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report – Blockages in your heart arteries could mean you’re more likely to have a stroke, even if you’re considered low risk. A new study raises the need for intensified interdisciplinary efforts for providing adequate disease prevention and management strategies for stroke.
Delivery of drug tPA directly into brain helps stroke patients
Treatment with clot-busting drug yields better results after stroke than supportive therapy alone – In an update to previous research, Johns Hopkins neurologists say minimally invasive delivery of the drug tPA directly into potentially lethal blood clots in the brain helped more patients function independently a year after suffering an intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a deadly and debilitating form of stroke.
Stroke becoming more common in young people
Study: Stroke becoming more common in young people – Stroke may be affecting people at a younger age, revealed by researchers. “The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol,” said study author Brett Kissela, MD, MS, with the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.
Stroke risk greater for older women with atrial fibrillation
Risk of stroke greater for women than men among older patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation – In a study that examined use of the anticoagulant medication warfarin and risk of stroke following a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation in older patients, women, especially those 75 years or older, had a higher risk of stroke than men, regardless of their risk profile and use of warfarin, suggesting that current anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke might not be sufficient for older women.
Citrus fruit may lower women’s stroke risk
How eating oranges and grapefruit can cut the risk of a stroke by their anti-inflammatory properties — Citrus fruit may lower stroke risk in women – A compound in citrus fruits may reduce your stroke risk, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Magnetic stimulation of brain may help stroke patients recover
Magnetic stimulation of brain may help some stroke patients recover – Imagine waking up and being unable to see or recognize anything on the left side of your body. This condition, called hemispatial neglect, is common after a stroke that occurs on the right side of the brain.
Stroke clinical trial finds intensive medical treatment better than brain stent
Intensive medical therapy more effective than stenting for preventing a second stroke — Results of NIH-funded clinical trial published in New England Journal of Medicine – Patients at a high risk for a second stroke who received intensive medical treatment had fewer strokes and deaths than patients who received a brain stent in addition to the medical treatment, a large nationwide clinical trial has shown.