The government has discontinued a study that aims to find treatments for a brain condition that cause strokes. Early findings suggest that invasive therapies are more dangerous than previously thought.
A bleeding stroke is a condition where the arteries and veins become tangled together until they some of them explode. The study aims to find out if early treatment of the arteries and veins can stop the stroke from happening.
During the early part of the study, they found out that it is best not to touch these tangles. The patient may experience headaches and other symptoms from time to time which can be treated with medicines. Those who opt to undergo surgeries, radiation and other invasive treatment were found to be three times more at risk to strokes and death than those under medication. These are the findings of Dr. Jay Mohr, Columbia University neurologist and author of the study.
"From what we can see, our current methods of intervention may pose a greater hazard for health than letting the natural history run itself out," Mohr said.
Almost 20 percent of strokes are bleeding strokes or hemorrhagic strokes. Surgical and invasive treatments such as aneurysm treatment, arteriovenous malformation (AVM) treatment and decompressive craniotomy are usually performed 48 to 72 hours after the hemorrhage. If the government will take into account Dr. Mohr’s findings, then these treatments pose more risk than cure.
Patients may choose to take aspirin which prevents blood from clotting or intravenous injection of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) which helps restore the blood flow by dissolving the clot that may cause stroke. However, these medications must be administered by a doctor and not taken through self-medication due to certain risks associated to these drugs.
Almost 130,000 Americans or one person for every four minutes die each year due to stroke. Kentucky ranks seven on the occurrence with 3.3 percent of the residents suffered from stroke in 2010. Indiana has 2.7 percent.
The National Institute of Health has discontinued the study which lasted for three years but will still observe the participants to monitor their progress sooner or later.
