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Intracranial Hemorrhage Blog
Related terms: Cerebral hemorrhage, Hemorrhage, intracerebral, Hypertensive hemorrhage, Intracerebral hemorrhage, Stroke, hemorrhagic
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In Some Brain Bleeds, Patients Do Better at High-Volume Hospitals
Posted 3 May 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 3 – People diagnosed in the emergency room with a specific type of bleeding stroke should immediately be transferred to a hospital that treats at least 35 of these cases each year, according to new recommendations from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs when a weakened blood vessel within the brain ruptures, resulting in bleeding into the space around the brain. Death rates within a month after this type of stroke were 39 percent in hospitals admitting fewer than 10 such patients each year, compared with 27 percent in hospitals treating more than 35 of these patients, according to an association news release. "Admission to high-volume centers has been associated with lower disability and death," said Dr. E. Sander Connolly Jr., chairman of the statement-writing group, said in the release. "While ... Read more
Related support groups: Intracranial Hemorrhage
Many Stroke Victims Still Don't Get Treated Fast Enough: Study
Posted 3 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 3 – While a clot-busting medication can often help stop a stroke in its tracks if it's given promptly, a new study finds that a high number of stroke victims continue to fail to get to the emergency room quickly enough to get the drug. An analysis of about 115,000 patients who had strokes between 2005 and 2010 found that almost 44 percent didn't get to the hospital until more than 4.5 hours after the time they were known to first show symptoms. That's a sign of trouble: it's actually up from 39 percent in 2005. Meanwhile, the percentage who got to the hospital within two hours fell from 40 percent in 2005 to 35 percent in 2010, another sign that more patients may be in danger from not getting prompt care. Also, many patients chose to get themselves to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance, "boosting the risk that they won't get there in time to be able to take a ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack, Ischemic Stroke -- Prophylaxis, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Married Men Seek Help for Stroke Sooner Than Their Wives
Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 2 – Married men with stroke symptoms are quicker to call for emergency help than married women, a new study finds. Researchers reviewed data from 91 patients with stroke symptoms who were brought by emergency medical services (EMS) to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix during a seven-month period ending June 30, 2011. The average age of the patients was 76. About half were married and half were single. The results showed that married men called EMS within 26 minutes of the start of stroke symptoms, compared to an average of 72 minutes for married women. Single men also called EMS earlier than single women, but the difference was not statistically significant. Overall, married patients called EMS more quickly than single patients, but the difference was not significant, the researchers said. The study was to be presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Stroke Can Impact a Child's Language, Hand-Eye Coordination
Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 2 – Lower IQs and problems with visual-motor and language skills are common among children who survive an arterial ischemic stroke, according to a new study. It included 42 childhood stroke survivors who underwent neuropsychological testing at least 10 months after their ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked. The testing evaluated their thinking abilities, academic skills, memory, language and visual-motor skills. Visual-motor skill is the ability to have the eyes and hands work together, such as when writing, using scissors, catching a ball and doing a host of other daily activities. The children's average IQ was about 94, which is in the average range but lower than the average for all children (100). The researchers said a more important finding was that the childhood stroke survivors had significantly lower visual-motor function and ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Transient Ischemic Attack, Ischemic Stroke -- Prophylaxis, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Efforts to Reduce Stroke in Kids With Sickle Cell Working: Study
Posted 2 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 2 – Greater use of certain types of treatments for kids with sickle cell anemia may explain why black children's risk of ischemic stroke dropped significantly between 1999 and 2007, new research finds. The disparity in stroke-related deaths between black and white children also fell during that period. Prior to 1998, black children were 74 percent more likely to die of ischemic stroke than white children. The racial difference is attributed in part to higher rates of sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder that raises the risk of stroke, among black children, according to the study scheduled to be presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association meeting in New Orleans. Then, in 1998, a major clinical trial found that treatments such as chronic (regularly scheduled) blood transfusions could dramatically lower the risk of stroke among kids with sickle cell anemia who ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Anemia - Sickle Cell, Transient Ischemic Attack, Ischemic Stroke -- Prophylaxis, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Survivors of Brain Hemorrhage May Experience PTSD
Posted 9 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Aug. 9 – One-third of people who survive a nearly fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage – a type of stroke that involves bleeding into the brain – experience the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), researchers have found. The trigger for these disabling symptoms seems to be the survivors' fear of having another brain hemorrhage, which is most often caused by a ruptured aneurysm. These fears may persist even though patients' risk for a recurrence remains low, at between 1 and 3 percent, according to Adam J. Noble of King's College London and colleagues. In conducting the study, published in the August issue of Neurosurgery, Noble's team analyzed 142 patients who were assessed for PTSD symptoms up to 18 months after they had experienced a brain hemorrhage. About one in three patients met criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD, the researchers noted. Their symptoms included ... Read more
Related support groups: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Intracranial Hemorrhage
U.S. 'Stroke Belt' May Also Be 'Sepsis Belt'
Posted 4 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Aug. 4 – People living in a region of the southeastern United States known as the "Stroke Belt" are known to have significantly higher rates of stroke deaths than the rest of the country. New research reveals these residents are also at greater risk for sepsis, a severe illness in which bacteria overwhelms the bloodstream. "In 2010, we examined death rates from sepsis across the United States," said Dr. Henry Wang, associate professor and vice chair for research in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) department of emergency medicine. "Laying it out on a map, we saw that the states with highest sepsis mortality formed a cluster in the Southeast United States, closely mirroring the appearance of the Stroke Belt." The "Stroke Belt" spans 11 states from Louisiana to Virginia. Sepsis, which is typically triggered by infections such as meningitis or bacterial pneumonia, ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Sepsis, Intracranial Hemorrhage
U.S. Southeast 'Stroke Belt' Also Shows Higher Rates of Cognitive Decline
Posted 26 May 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 26 – People living in an area of the southeastern United States known as the "Stroke Belt" are also at greater risk for cognitive decline, or reduced brain function, than those living in other areas, new research suggests. The Stroke Belt states – known to have significantly higher rates of stroke deaths than the rest of the country – include Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. According to the researchers, shared risk factors for stroke and brain impairment appear to be to blame for the greater incidence of cognitive decline in this geographic region. The new study, published online May 26 in Annals of Neurology, followed more than 30,000 Americans aged 45 or older for a period of four years to document signs of stroke as well as cognitive decline. In assessing reduced cognitive function, the researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Experts Say Stroke Care Differs for U.S. Minorities
Posted 26 May 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 26 – Wide differences in care for people who've had a stroke still exist between whites and ethnic minorities in the United States, according to a joint report issued by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. "We see disparities in every aspect of stroke care, from lack of awareness of stroke risk factors and symptoms to delayed arrival to the emergency room and increased waiting time," Dr. Salvador Cruz-Flores, lead author of the report and director of the Souers Stroke Institute at St. Louis University, said in a Heart Association statement. "These disparities continue throughout the spectrum of the delivery of care, from acute treatment to rehabilitation." The report pointed out that risk factors vary among racial and ethnic groups. African Americans have a higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, which are all risk factors ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Brain Stimulation Might Help Stroke Patients With Swallowing Problems
Posted 26 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, March 25 – Electrical stimulation of the brain could help stroke patients avoid potentially dangerous problems with swallowing, preliminary research indicates. The treatment has only been tested in a small number of patients and needs further exploration. Still, the findings published online March 24 in the journal Stroke are "encouraging," said Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Center at Duke University Medical Center. An estimated 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year in the United States, and most of them survive, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But many lose some of their ability to swallow, a problem known as dysphagia. "Post-stroke swallowing difficulty is an important problem. Up to half of stroke patients studied have dysfunctional swallowing, and up to a third of these patients aspirate, swallowing material that ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Family Involvement Helps Stroke Patients With Rehab
Posted 10 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, March 9 – Stroke survivors recover their physical abilities more quickly if family members are involved in their exercise therapy, a new European study suggests. The study of 40 male and female stroke survivors found that adding family-assisted exercise therapy to routine post-stroke physical therapy improved patients' motor function, balance, distance walked, and ability to perform activities of daily living. In addition, family members said their involvement in patient recovery reduced their stress and made them feel empowered. The study was published in the March issue of the journal Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. "It's a win-win situation for everyone. People with stroke, their families and health-care providers share in the benefit," principal investigator Emma Stokes, a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, said in ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Simple Tests Can Tell Who Can Drive After Stroke: Study
Posted 21 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Feb. 21 – A new review of existing research contends that three brief tests could help doctors figure out whether recovering stroke patients are well enough to drive. "A quick and objective screening in the doctor's office can help them to make more accurate decisions," said review author Hannes Devos, a research assistant at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. However, several U.S. stroke experts said they weren't ready to accept the new study's findings. The American Heart Association estimates that 6.4 million stroke survivors are alive in the United States today. While some patients are able to recover with few permanent disabilities, strokes can cause some people to permanently lose memory and the ability to properly move their bodies. In some cases, patients with serious motor-skill problems can still drive a car as long as they're able to get proper equipment, ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
No Benefit to Lowering Blood Pressure in Acute Stroke: Study
Posted 11 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 11 – Giving medication to lower blood pressure in hypertensive stroke patients appears to have no benefit and might even be harmful, says a new study that seems to confirm current treatment guidelines. "Clinicians should not be prescribing blood-pressure-lowering drugs within the first week of acute stroke in routine practice, but researchers should continue to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of other interventions for blood pressure in acute stroke," said Dr. Graeme J. Hankey, head of the Stroke Unit at Royal Perth Hospital in Australia, who is familiar with the study. Researchers looked at the effect of the blood pressure-lowering drug candesartan on about 1,000 acute stroke patients. Their findings are published online Feb. 11 in The Lancet to coincide with presentation of the study at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. When added to the results ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Rare Children's Strokes Sometimes Misdiagnosed
Posted 5 Feb 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Feb. 4 – A new pediatric study focused on hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke suggests that children who suffer a stroke may experience treatment delays because emergency rooms and paramedics often lack the appropriate tools to diagnose them. "Stroke in children is rare, but it does exist," study author Dr. Franz Babl, of Royal Children's Hospital and Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said in a news release. "Stroke patients in our study had previously been generally healthy, unlike their adult counterparts," Babl noted. "Because pediatric stroke is so rare, it's not the first thing we look for. Stroke symptoms in children are frequently attributed to other, more common problems, such as migraine, seizures or encephalitis." Babl and his colleagues report their findings in the Feb. 2 online issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The authors stressed ... Read more
Related support groups: Ischemic Stroke, Intracranial Hemorrhage
Ninety Percent of Stroke Risk Due to 10 Risk Factors
Posted 18 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, June 18 – A large international study has found that 10 risk factors account for 90 percent of all the risk of stroke, with high blood pressure playing the most potent role. Of that list, five risk factors usually related to lifestyle – high blood pressure, smoking, abdominal obesity, diet and physical activity – are responsible for a full 80 percent of all stroke risk, according to the researchers. The findings come the INTERSTROKE study, a standardized case-control study of 3,000 people who had had strokes and an equal number of healthy individuals with no history of stroke from 22 countries. It was published online June 18 in The Lancet. The study – slated to be presented Friday at the World Congress on Cardiology in Beijing – reports that the 10 factors significantly associated with stroke risk are high blood pressure, smoking, physical activity, waist-to-hip ratio ... Read more
Related support groups: High Blood Pressure, Obesity, Hypertension, Smoking, Ischemic Stroke, Ischemic Stroke -- Prophylaxis, Intracranial Hemorrhage