New life for stroke victims
At the University of Leicester study could help a new life for patients who may have had a stroke. The study published in American Journal of Hypertension confirms the safety of a drug, Lisinopril, which lowers his blood pressure without reducing blood flow to the brain. Now a larger Leicester trial is under way to explore the benefits of drugs for stroke. Dr David Eveson, of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, said: Hypertension is often immediately after a stroke.Stroke patients with high blood pressure tend to have worse outcomes than those with normal blood pressure and, therefore, can be used to lower blood pressure immediately after the race.However, studies have shown mixed results so far, probably because the treatment was started
too late, or used the wrong medication. The class of drugs called ACE inhibitors in blood pressure, of which Lisinopril is a member, has been shown in studies to lower blood pressure, but on the blood flow to the brain, which can be very important to keep after the accident, stroke. This study compared the use of blood pressure with lisinopril compared with placebo during the hours of acute stroke in patients at University Hospitals of Leicester.The results showed that blood pressure actually decreased in the treated group and this resulted in an adverse outcome compared with placebo.The study was too small to show any benefit, but you have to confirm safety and thus a larger Leicester-based study (CHHIPS) is underway to determine if this treatment can be beneficial for
the patient. Dr Eveson added: Stroke is the second leading cause of death in the UK and the leading cause of disability in adults. It is imperative to discover new therapies for stroke patients to reduce the impact of this disease to try. This study evaluates for the first time, a blood pressure lowering drug immediately established after stroke and confirms its safety in this group, paving the way for larger studies to determine Special report describes a medical device that is changing the lPages: [1] 2