Stroke
Stroke survivors must be offered a COVID-19 vaccination as part of priority group six, leading professionals in the field have stated today, amidst increasing claims that they are being denied the opportunity. With over 20 million people now having received their first dose of the vaccine, the UK’s 1.2million survivors of stroke or mini-stroke are [...]
The use of ‘telestroke’ is improving outcomes and survival chances for stroke patients, new research has concluded.
A newly-published study shows that people who receive stroke care at facilities that offer consultations via stroke telemedicine, known as telestroke, fare better than patients who get stroke care at places without such services. The study is the first analysis of telestroke patient outcomes. It shows that those who get care at hospitals that offer telemedicine for stroke assessment receive superior care and are more likely to survive strokes than patients who went to similar hospitals without telestroke services.
Dr Kate Allatt discusses why the topic of being intimate after having a stroke shouldn’t be shied away from - by survivors or medical professionals.
In 2010, whilst married to my former husband, I suffered a huge brainstem stroke and was diagnosed with Locked In Syndrome (LIS) at 39 years of age. Later, following tremendous effort, I’d recovered sufficiently to walk out of hospital, hug my young kids and even run again. Just when I thought I’d conquered my challenges I realised the physical and emotional challenges of sex were still to be resolved in putting my broken self back together.
The world’s largest research study is to take place in the UK, which will investigate links between COVID-19 and life-threatening strokes.
The study will use health data from nearly all UK adults, which will allow researchers to follow the health of COVID-19 patients. Data analysts will compare stroke in patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 with patients without the virus, to confirm if the virus increases risk of stroke and by how much. The study - funded by The Stroke Association - will also analyse stroke risk and characteristics including age, sex, ethnicity and geography to identify which COVID-19 patients may be most at risk of stroke.
Studies show that the more repetition and strength training a person performs, the greater their chance of restoring movement, and ultimately their independence, following a stroke or neurological condition.
But keeping up with a physical rehabilitation regime when alone, no matter how willing you are, is a grind, but tech holds the key, explains Dr Paul Rinne is CEO and co-founder of GripAble.
Exoskeletons could help with early rehabilitation for acute stroke, new research has found.
The use of high-dose therapy gait training using robotic exoskeletons could help increase provision for stroke rehabilitation, broadening options for patients going forward. The research, from the Kessler Foundation, involved 44 inpatients, aged between 18 and 82, admitted to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation for acute stroke.
Physical rehabilitation is vital for patients to restore quality of life after stroke and other neurological, orthopaedic and paediatric conditions. No-one knows this better or just how hard it is, than someone who has gone through it.
Kate Allatt suffered a rare, massive brain stem stroke at the age of 39, and then went on to develop locked-in syndrome. Doctors said she’d never walk, talk or be able to use her arms again. But she defied all predictions, and through grit, determination and hard work, walked out of hospital.
Adults who smoke, or are genetically predisposed to smoking behaviours, are more likely to experience a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), new research has revealed.
The study found that while smokers are at a higher risk of SAH, that rises to over 60 per cent among those with genetic variants that predispose them to smoking. The research, published in Stroke, a journal of the American Stroke Association, establishes a link between smoking and the risk of SAH for the first time.
A 12-week campaign is being launched today - Stroke Prevention Day - to help raise awareness of how the risk of stroke can be reduced.
The campaign encourages people to make one small positive change to their lifestyle to reduce the possibility of stroke, which is the fourth highest cause of death in the UK. According to the Stroke Association UK, 89 per cent - almost 9 in 10 - strokes are associated with modifiable risk factors in the Western countries, including lifestyle elements that can be changed to reduce risk, such as weight, diet and blood pressure.
New funding has been assigned to help better understand the link between stroke and COVID-19.
Growing evidence indicates the strengthening of the link between patients contracting Coronavirus and also having a stroke. Initial global research has identified a number of patient groups who are more likely to have a stroke, including those with pre-existing conditions affecting their heart and blood vessels, those with severe COVID-19 symptoms, as well as people of Asian ethnicity. Indications also point to such people experiencing stroke in such situations being at least six years younger, on average, with symptoms being more significant.
