University Hospitals (UH) Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center recently reported that it has increased the use of tPA or “clot busting therapy” for ischemic stroke by 13.5 times throughout UH system hospitals since implementing the System Stroke Progra…
Public education is needed about the symptoms and risks of mini-stroke, also called transient ischemic attack or TIA, according to the first large study on the topic, which is published in the May 13 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found that only 9 percent of people could give the definition of a TIA or identify a symptom of TIA. TIA symptoms are the same as those for a regular stroke, but TIA symptoms resolve themselves within 24 hours.
A new study documents for the first time a significant difference in the way women and men describe their symptoms while they’re having a stroke. And that difference may be affecting how women receive emergency stroke treatment. On the whole, the study found, women were 62 percent more likely than men to say they were feeling sensations that aren’t on the list of “traditional” stroke symptoms. Because emergency responders and emergency room doctors often go by patients’ descriptions and the traditional symptom list when trying to diagnose and treat a suspected stroke, women’s symptoms may be overlooked during the precious hours when stroke therapies work best.