Aspirin

Downsizing

Recognize Stroke

Laser Catheter

Dementia

Almost Half of Stroke Patients May Be Aspirin Resistant

The results of a small study suggest that almost half of patients hospitalized after a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) that are caused by a blocked blood vessel do not develop anti-clotting effects with aspirin therapy.  Dr. Mark Alberts, of Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, reported at the 5th World Stroke Congress that 47% of stroke or TIA patients showed "aspirin resistance," which was defined as a clotting time of 171 seconds or less.  Sixty-three percent of the study patients were taking 325 mg/day of aspirin, and 37 percent were using 81 mg.  Aspirin resistance was more common in patients taking low-dose aspirin compared with those taking uncoated aspirin (73% versus 39%).  (7/04)

Being Downsized May Increase Stoke Risk

Losing a job is always tough, but for people nearing retirement age, it may also be harmful to their health, results of a new study suggest.  People who lost a job close to retirement age were more than twice as likely to have a stroke as people of the same age who had not lost a job, researchers report.  The study appears in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, May 2004.  (7/04)

Recognize Stroke, Call Ambulance, Be a Hero

According to the CDC, the five major warning signs for stroke are sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding; sudden numbness or weakness, particularly on one side of the body; sudden vision trouble; dizziness or trouble walking; and sudden severe headache with no apparent cause.

In a CDC survey that tested the stroke knowledge of more than 61,000 adults in 17 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, it was found that only 17% knew all warning signs and said that they would call 911 if they thought someone was having a heart attack or stroke.

The results of the study appeared in the May 2004 issue of the CDC publication Mortality Weekly Report.  (www.cdc.gov/mmwr).   (7/04)

Laser Catheter Helpful for Stroke

Breaking up clots with a special laser catheter can quickly restore blood flow to the brain in stroke patients, physicians reported in the May 2004 issue of Stroke.  (7/04)

Stroke Survivors Have a High Risk of Dementia

The results of a study published in the June 2004 issue of Stroke suggest that patients who have suffered a stroke have twice the risk of dementia compared with healthy subjects.  (7/04)