‘Treat mini strokes with anti-clot cures’
CLOT-busting drugs and scans could spare thousands of mini stroke victims from a life of serious disability.
But they are rarely given because doctors consider the initial condition too mild to need treatment, say researchers.
Each year in the UK, 46,000 people suffer from mini strokes, technically known as transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).
At least 15 per cent are left with some form of disability within 90 days and one in 10 people who have TIAs are likely to have a full stroke within a week.
Findings published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke says that CT scans showed some victims had narrowed blood vessels in the brain, and others reported ongoing or worsening symptoms.
Immediate treatment, using for instance the drug Actilyse, could dissolve dangerous clots and restore healthy blood flow to the brain, the researchers suggest. CT imaging could show the level of risk.
Our study shows that minor stroke patients are at significant risk of disability. We should be imaging patients earlier and be more aggressive in treating patients if we can see a blockage no matter how minor the symptoms
Dr Shelagh Coutts, lead author of the latest study by Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Canada, said: “Our study shows that minor stroke patients are at significant risk of disability. We should be imaging patients earlier and be more aggressive in treating patients if we can see a blockage no matter how minor the symptoms.”
Among the 499 patients studied, 15 per cent had at least minor disability 90 days after their original mini stroke. Dr Clare Walton, Stroke Association Research Communications Officer, said: “If you suspect the symptoms seek urgent medical attention.”
