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All Medical Information provided in this website are only informative. Ask your Physician for any personal application.

 

 

Stroke presentations differ between women and men

Acute stroke presentations in men (imbalance and hemiparesis) seem uncommon in women who present mostly with pain and change in the level of consciousness. Medical personnel and general population need to take care of these new atypical symptoms.

Source = Ann Emerg Med 2002;40:453-463

 

 

Citicoline After Stroke 

With Citicoline 2000 mg given orally during the 24 hours following a moderate to severe stroke, a complete resolution can be obtained.

Source = Stroke 2002;33:

 

 

More Antibiotics, Less Stroke.

By treating your hypertension, you reduce your risk of developing cognitive impairment.

Significantly less dementia by 55% can be obtained by any antihypertensive drug.

But using calcium channel blockers could be more effective in preventing dementia.

Source = Arch Intern Med 2002;162:2046-2052,2090-2096

 

 

Patients previously infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae may reduce their CRP and their carotid thickness if treated by roxithromycin 150 mg twice-daily for 30 days. Stroke (and cardiac events) are thus significantly prevented.

Source = Circulation. 2002;106

 

 

Inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein & TNF-alpha) have important adverse properties in promoting acute coronary events.

They are significantly reduced by statins but not by diet.

People under statins & diet can be satisfied even if their lipid levels are not normalized since statins lower cardiovascular risk by through independant ways.

Source = Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2002;22:e19-e23

 

 

Smokers, Do Check your Homocysteine!

High Plasma Homocysteine associated with smoking increases tremendously the cardio vascular disease risk .

Smokers + Homocysteine superior to 12mmol/ml have 13 times more cardiovascular disease risk than non smokers with normal homocysteine! ( <12mmol/ml)

In general, smokers have higher homocysteine levels than non-smokers, less folate, vitamins b6 & b12.

There should be a great benefit to screen and treat these smokers.

Source = Eur Heart J 2002;23:1580-1586

 

 

Lack of sleep and long working hours  increase myocardial infarction by 100 % in middle age population

5 hours or less of sleep per day and more than 60 hours of work per week for 1 year can cause an increase in myocardial infarction by 100 %. This is more enhanced by immediate stress during the last 7 days. People who are used to work hard and lack of sleep should avoid sudden stress.

Source = Occup Environ Med 2002;59:447-451

 

 

Helicobacter Pylori is a small bacteria which enters human stomach early in life and persists for ever if not treated, causing at least gastric pain. Now a new study certifies that

Helicobacter Pylori Infection Elevate by  49% Coronary Heart Disease Risk  and by 44% Myocardial Infarction.

Helicobacter Pylori Infection becomes an independent cardiovascular risk factor.

Source = Heart 2002;88:43-46

 

 

More Glasses of Water,  Less Fatal Heart Events

Five or more glasses of water are much more useful than two : less blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, hematocrit, and

fibrinogen concentration.

Up to 54 % reduction in fatal cardiovascular events!

Source = Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:827-833.

 

 

Death of cardiac people can be reduced by 75% by a simple shot of the Flu vaccine

plus a reduction in infarction and angina.

Source = Circulation 2002;105:r82-r86

 

 

The World Health Organization recommend the vaccine for cardiac people for a long time ago, but these results are more inportant than expected. Previous studies showed also a reduction in stroke after a shot of flu vaccine. The mechanism of action of the flu vaccine is still not specified but it concerns the inflammatory process.

Take care when you are taking Aspirin and switch to COX-2 inhibitor (an anti-inflammatory agent) : Platelets can be activated which leads to thrombosis and cardiovascular events (infarction, stroke, pulmonary embolism etc...)

Source = Science 2002;296:539-541

 

 

rtPA treatment is beneficial for all types of stroke. No need to wait to diagnose the type of stroke.

 Source = American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 54th annual meeting

 

 

Again and again,Statins seem good for Alzheimer's disease. Other anticholesterol agents have no effect on Alzheimer's disease.

Source = American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 54th annual meeting

 

 

Stroke caused by fatty cerebral microemboli resulting from long bone fracture surgery can be prevented by closure of patent foramen ovale.

 Souce = Arch Neurol 2002;59:455-459

 

 

Vasospasm of cerebral arteries after ruptured aneurysms repair may be preventing by implanting small pellets of long acting Nicardipine ( a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension ).

 Source = Stroke 2002;33:1011-1015

 

 

 

Stroke Risk After Carotid Angioplasty:Equal benefit from Heparin and Abciximab

 Source = Neurosurgery 2002;50:466-475.

 

 

Homocysteine damages brain tissueHigh levels related to silent brain infarcts and white matter cerebral lesions

 Source = Ann Neurol 2002;51:285-289.

 

 

Posterior Circulation (vertebrobasilar territory) Strokes : better prognosis than previously thought. low Overall mortality minor residual  disability. poor outcome above 75 years & alcohol abuse .

 Source = Arch Neurol 2002;59:369-376

 

 

Aspirin Resistance. Some patients may be redistant to aspirin and thus more exposed to cardiac events such as Myocardial Infarction, Stroke and may benefit from additional antiplatelet treatments or other antithrombotic therapies. High urinary levels of 11-dehydro thromboxane B2 may reveal those patients.

 Source = Circulation. April 9th issue, published online March 26th.          

 

 

The vulnerable morning periods: between 6 AM and noon. More cardiovascular events : Aortic Dissection, Myocardial infarction, Stroke etc...Prevention could include appropriate calm behaviour, progressive day start, better morning coverage treatment since most drugs are taken in the morning and their action is not immediate.

 Source = American College of Cardiology (ACC) 51st Annual Scientific Session.

 

 

High risk for stroke : 32 % reduced by ACE inhibitor Ramipril. Fatal stroke : 61%. This reduction is not explained by lower blood pressure which is mild.

 Source = BMJ 2002;324:699-702.