Stroke ranks as the third leading killer in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. The chart at right shows the incidence of stroke compared with other disabling neurological disorders. Following a 25-year decline, stroke deaths are now on an upswing. Some professionals have explanations. He adds that high blood pressure is one of the primary risk factors for stroke, and that about one-third of the Americans who have it are unaware.
Stroke also is the most common cause of adult disability.
Amid these grim statistics, however, hope is emerging that the devastating effects of stroke can be lessened, possibly reversed, in many cases. It had been approved earlier for treating heart attacks. In clinical trials, Activase boosted recovery odds significantly in selected stroke patients treated within the first three hours of the onset of symptoms. Doctors also prescribe low-dose aspirin to their patients who have had previous heart attacks or strokes because studies have shown that aspirin can prevent repeat heart attacks and strokes in these patients. Several drug treatments, including one designed to stop the rapid death of brain cells following a stroke, are in clinical trials now.