Ultra Early Treatment in Mild Strokes Reduces Risk of Disability

Patients who have suffered mild or moderate strokes can reduce the risk of permanent disability by receiving effective treatment within 90 minutes of stroke symptoms.

Since the breakthrough of a study in 1995, physicians have known that early and effective treatment with thrombolytics can improve the stroke victim's health and also aids in full recovery. Those who received treatment within 90 minutes of the onset of the symptoms showed an improvement in their condition.

The American Heart Association recommends those with stroke symptoms should consider getting to a hospital within three hours. The guidelines state that within four hours of the onset of the symptoms, clot bursting drugs can be given.

The study discovered that people who survived mild to moderate strokes and were given clot bursting drugs in the first 90 minutes of the symptoms had partial or no disability after three months  compared to those who received treatment between 90-270 minutes.

"Ultra-early treatment increases the likelihood of excellent outcome in patients with moderately severe symptoms, and in secondary analysis also in those with mild symptoms," said Daniel Strbian, M.D., Ph.D., from the Department of Neurology at Helsinki University Central Hospital. "All measures must be taken to reduce onset-to-treatment time as much as possible."

The study was conducted on more than 6,800 stroke victims from 10 stroke centers over 14 years. These people were treated with a clot bursting drug called Alteplase that is given via IV . Based on the severity of the stroke they were divided into three groups namely minor (NIH stroke score 0-6), mild/moderate (NIH score 7-12), or moderate/severe (NIH score higher than 12).

The mild/moderate stroke victims benefited from the ultra early care. Even minor stroke victims benefited from this treatment as their likelihood of disability is extremely low. Due to the high artery blockage in the severe stroke victims, the ultra early treatment did not help.

"We need more research to offer something more for people with severe strokes," Strbian said

The study was published in the journal Stroke.