Stroke Archive

Research we're watching

It seems the old adage "everything in moderation" might have an exception — smoking. A study in the January 24 issue of The BMJ found that smoking even one cigarette a day carries significant health consequences, namely a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

Using data from 141 different studies, involving millions of participants, researchers compared people who smoked either one, five, or 20 cigarettes each day. They found, counter to what many people assume, that rates of heart disease and stroke were not reduced as much as expected in casual smokers compared with pack-a-day smokers.

This heart rhythm disorder is linked to thinking and memory problems. But anti-clotting drugs may lower the risk.

Bouts of atrial fibrillation, or afib — a rapid, chaotic heartbeat — make some people feel lightheaded and dizzy, while others don't notice any symptoms. But the most serious threat of this condition is the higher risk of stroke among people with afib compared with those without the disorder (see "Blood clot dangers, large and small"). Now, there's a growing recognition that people with afib also face an increased risk of thinking and memory problems — even if they do not experience a stroke.

Known as cognitive impairment, these problems include trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making routine decisions. The presumed underlying cause? Tiny blood clots that cause "silent" (that is, unrecognized) strokes and gradually injure parts of the brain involved with cognition.

Machine learning may improve the way doctors detect heart disease.

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Imagine a world in which a photo of your eye — taken with your smartphone — could determine your risk of a heart attack, and your smartwatch could estimate your odds of experiencing a stroke. Sounds pretty futuristic, right?

In fact, preliminary studies showing the feasibility of both approaches have already been published. They're just two examples of the new wave of technology-based innovations (see "Transformative technologies") that are beginning to change health care as we know it.

Research we're watching

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Roaring jets, rumbling trains, and revving automobiles may have a detrimental effect on your cardiovascular health.

According to a review article in the Feb. 13, 2018, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, many studies have observed a connection between transportation-related noise and a slightly higher risk of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure. The association persists even after adjustment for possible confounding factors, such as air pollution and socioeconomic status.

News briefs

The American Stroke Association has made a major change to its recommendations for a first-line stroke therapy. The group's new guidelines, published online Jan. 24, 2018, by Stroke, say that instead of having just six hours from the onset of stroke symptoms to reach into a blood vessel, grab the clot, and pull it out, doctors now have up to 24 hours to perform the procedure (depending on the circumstances). The new recommendation will be helpful for people who suffer a stroke while sleeping and therefore don't know at what time the symptoms began. A thrombectomy may be combined with the other first-line treatment for stroke caused by a blood clot: a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. The treatment window to use tPA is just three to four hours, so it's imperative that you call 911 at the first sign of stroke symptoms. Those include the sudden onset of confusion, difficulty talking, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, or difficulty walking.

Research we're watching

Smoking just one cigarette a day appears to raise the risk of heart disease and stroke by between 48% and 74%, according to a study in the Jan. 24, 2018, issue of The BMJ.

Researchers pooled data from 141 studies done in 21 countries and regions, together involving millions of people. They analyzed the risks associated with smoking one, five, or 20 cigarettes per day, taking into account age, sex, and other possible confounding factors. Just one cigarette per day accounted for half of the risk seen with smoking 20 cigarettes a day in men, and for one-third of the risk in women, they discovered.

The health risks of loneliness and isolation have been known for some time, but more recently research has shown the specific effects in the brain. Finding ways to make connections with other people is the best "medicine" to alleviate the mental and physical effects of loneliness.

Research we're watching

 Image: © Shaiith/Thinkstock

Adding a little extra spice to your food may help you eat less salt, according to a study in the December 2017 issue of Hypertension. A salty diet may raise your risk of high blood pressure, leaving you more prone to heart attack and stroke.

For the study, Chinese researchers recruited 606 people and determined their preferences for salty and spicy foods, in part by asking how often they ate foods such as salted fried pork and pickled Chinese cabbage.

Research we're watching

Scientists are getting some bright ideas on how to protect people from brain damage related to stroke by looking at the brains of hibernating squirrels.

When squirrels hibernate, blood flow to their brain slows dramatically — similar to the reduced blood flow to a human brain that occurs with an ischemic stroke (one caused by a blocked blood vessel in the brain). But unlike the nearly 800,000 people who experience ischemic strokes each year, the hibernating squirrels don't suffer any harmful consequences from this reduction in blood flow to the brain. Scientists say this difference reflects cellular changes in the squirrel brains that protect them from damage. The scientists for the NIH-funded study, who published the results in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's FASEB Journal, say they have found a potential drug that might mimic this protective hibernation process and could, one day, protect human brains from stroke-related damage.

Identifying and treating a stroke as quickly as possible can save brain cells, function, and lives. Everyone should know the warning signs of a stroke and when to get help fast.

The warning signs of a stroke can begin anywhere from a few minutes to days before a stroke actually occurs. The National Stroke Association has devised the FAST checklist to help determine whether a person is having a stroke.