New Guidelines for Recurrent Stroke Prevention Published

AHA/ASA updates guidelines to reflect recent findings

FRIDAY, Oct. 22 (HealthDay News) -- A joint committee representing the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association has published updated evidence-based recommendations on the prevention of ischemic stroke among survivors of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack; the statement has been published online Oct. 21 in Stroke.

Chair of the writing group, Karen L. Furie, M.D., of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues reviewed relevant literature published as of August 2009.

Evidence-based recommendations for risk factor control, interventional approaches for atherosclerotic disease, and use of antithrombotic and antiplatelet agents are presented in the statement. The writing group also includes recommendations for recurrent stroke prevention in several specific clinical scenarios, including arterial dissections; hyperhomocysteinemia; hypercoagulable states; sickle cell disease; and stroke among women, particularly as it relates to pregnancy and postmenopausal hormone use.

"The recommendations in this statement are organized to help the clinician who has arrived at a potential explanation of the cause of ischemic stroke in an individual patient and is embarking on selection of a therapy to reduce the risk of a recurrent event and other vascular outcomes," the authors write. "Our intention is to update these statements every three years, with additional interval updates as needed, to reflect the changing state of knowledge on the approaches to prevent a recurrent stroke."

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