Preventing Strokes May Stave Off Dementia
It is commonly known in the medical community that strokes may lead to a highly increased risk on dementia; however, until recently no one knew how great the correlation was. British researchers at the Stroke Prevention Research Unit of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford have proven that doing everything they can to preventing a second stroke from occurring in patients may be the best treatment for dementia.
After analyzing nearly 30 other studies on the subject, involving around 7,500 patients, researchers realized that for those people having multiple stokes at the same time, they were likely to become demented within the very first month. This speed of deterioration is most likely due to the side effects of the strokes, not so much the stroke itself. These side effects include hypertension, low oxygen saturation, cardiac events, and seizures, things that are well known causes of health problems and dementia.
The easiest way to prevent further damage to the brain because of a stroke is to keep the patient’s body in the most stable condition possible, preventing high or low blood pressure to keep the veins and arteries from having added pressure on them. Whether or not scientists agree with the fact that the number of strokes may have more of an effect on dementia than the underlying risks of cardiovascular disease, everyone agrees that the side effect of hypertension is the “best treatable factor for dementia and stroke” as Dr. Michael Hennericci, a researcher on the subject, puts it. The best way to prevent the issues associated with hypertension is to reduce salt intake, exercise, and make lifestyle changes.
This article interested me so much because it shows that relatively easy changes can prevent such a horrible condition in the future. So often we hear about doctors using amazing inventions to improve people’s lives, but in this case the cure may be easier than it seems. I was also interested in studies on dementia because it is something that almost everyone will be faced with themselves or know someone affected by it.
Link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090925/hl_hsn/preventingsecondstrokemaystaveoffdementia
Brittany Guth
VTPP 434-501
After analyzing nearly 30 other studies on the subject, involving around 7,500 patients, researchers realized that for those people having multiple stokes at the same time, they were likely to become demented within the very first month. This speed of deterioration is most likely due to the side effects of the strokes, not so much the stroke itself. These side effects include hypertension, low oxygen saturation, cardiac events, and seizures, things that are well known causes of health problems and dementia.
The easiest way to prevent further damage to the brain because of a stroke is to keep the patient’s body in the most stable condition possible, preventing high or low blood pressure to keep the veins and arteries from having added pressure on them. Whether or not scientists agree with the fact that the number of strokes may have more of an effect on dementia than the underlying risks of cardiovascular disease, everyone agrees that the side effect of hypertension is the “best treatable factor for dementia and stroke” as Dr. Michael Hennericci, a researcher on the subject, puts it. The best way to prevent the issues associated with hypertension is to reduce salt intake, exercise, and make lifestyle changes.
This article interested me so much because it shows that relatively easy changes can prevent such a horrible condition in the future. So often we hear about doctors using amazing inventions to improve people’s lives, but in this case the cure may be easier than it seems. I was also interested in studies on dementia because it is something that almost everyone will be faced with themselves or know someone affected by it.
Link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20090925/hl_hsn/preventingsecondstrokemaystaveoffdementia
Brittany Guth
VTPP 434-501
posted by Brittany Guth at 3:02 PM
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