Dementia Seen in More Than 25% of Stroke Survivors
March 15, 2000 (Atlanta) -- One of every four stroke survivors developsdementia, according to research reported in the March 14 issue of the journalNeurology. The study is the first to include a large number of non-whitepeople -- and in perhaps its most provocative finding it suggests that the riskof dementia after stroke is up to three times higher for black and Hispanicpatients than for white patients.
A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function usually caused by a blockedblood vessel that causes loss of oxygen in a particular part of the brain.There may be sudden loss of vision, strength, balance, coordination, speech, orthe ability to understand speech. Symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, hiccups,or difficulty swallowing may occur, and there can be severe headache followedby loss of consciousness.
Dementia is a loss of mental function that may include loss of memory and/orjudgement, often with changes in personality.
A person's education also played a major role in determining whetherdementia followed stroke, according to the study. Compared to stroke patientswith 13 or more years of education, those who had only eight years of schoolinghad four times the risk of dementia. Those with nine to 12 years of school hadthree times the risk.
"It's always important to think of the public health implications ofstudies like this," lead author David W. Desmond, PhD, tells WebMD. "Itshows that there are certain groups that are at increased risk, and attentionneeds to be given to these groups to find out why. Ours is the largest study ofstroke and dementia ever published. It is not just large but has a highproportion of black and Hispanic patients, and this allows us to identify therisks that they face."
New studies to investigate the basis for these risks already are beingplanned, says John R. Marler, MD, associate director for clinical trials at theNational Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which fundedthe current study.
"It's a very complex question that a number of studies have looked atand none of them have sorted it out," Marler tells WebMD. "It seemsthat a lot of the risk factors for stroke are heightened in nonwhites as well-- hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking -- but these risk factors alonedon't entirely explain the risk. Is some component cultural or based on some[physical] difference between groups? We haven't been able to sort that outyet. ... There are all sorts of opinions, but there are no scientific answersright now."
Dementia Seen in More Than 25% of Stroke Survivors
March 15, 2000 (Atlanta) -- One of every four stroke survivors developsdementia, according to research reported in the March 14 issue of the journalNeurology. The study is the first to include a large number of non-whitepeople -- and in perhaps its most provocative finding it suggests that the riskof dementia after stroke is up to three times higher for black and Hispanicpatients than for white patients.
A stroke is a sudden loss of brain function usually caused by a blockedblood vessel that causes loss of oxygen in a particular part of the brain.There may be sudden loss of vision, strength, balance, coordination, speech, orthe ability to understand speech. Symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, hiccups,or difficulty swallowing may occur, and there can be severe headache followedby loss of consciousness.
Dementia is a loss of mental function that may include loss of memory and/orjudgement, often with changes in personality.
A person's education also played a major role in determining whetherdementia followed stroke, according to the study. Compared to stroke patientswith 13 or more years of education, those who had only eight years of schoolinghad four times the risk of dementia. Those with nine to 12 years of school hadthree times the risk.
"It's always important to think of the public health implications ofstudies like this," lead author David W. Desmond, PhD, tells WebMD. "Itshows that there are certain groups that are at increased risk, and attentionneeds to be given to these groups to find out why. Ours is the largest study ofstroke and dementia ever published. It is not just large but has a highproportion of black and Hispanic patients, and this allows us to identify therisks that they face."
New studies to investigate the basis for these risks already are beingplanned, says John R. Marler, MD, associate director for clinical trials at theNational Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which fundedthe current study.
"It's a very complex question that a number of studies have looked atand none of them have sorted it out," Marler tells WebMD. "It seemsthat a lot of the risk factors for stroke are heightened in nonwhites as well-- hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking -- but these risk factors alonedon't entirely explain the risk. Is some component cultural or based on some[physical] difference between groups? We haven't been able to sort that outyet. ... There are all sorts of opinions, but there are no scientific answersright now."
Source...