This commentary focused on what is called secondary prevention. Secondary prevention is defined as prevention following events related to the disease in question.
So secondary prevention in stroke would be reduction in stroke risk in those who have had a stroke or pre-stroke syndromes such as transient ischemic attacks (TIA).
The key take-home message from the commentary by Graeme Hankey includes:
- Aspirin following mild stroke reduced risk of recurrent ischemic stroke by 49%
- In a summary of 12 trials in those with TIA or ischemic stroke, aspirin reduced risk of any further stroke by 51%, reduced risk of fatal or disabiling stroke by 66% and reduced risk of myocardial infarction by 70%
- Adding another agent (dipyridamole) to aspirin did not reduce stroke risk any further in 12 weeks of follow-up but did appear to add some benefit long-term
Active trials of new drugs for stroke prevention are ongoing and will become available in the next several years. These interventions may provide additional secondary prevention options for clinicians and patients.
Readers with more interest in this topic can access the free-full text manuscript by clicking on the citation link below.
No comments:
Post a Comment