AHA News: Treatment to Ward Off Stroke Less Effective in Women

THURSDAY, Nov. 14, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Women are at higher risk for stroke and have different stroke symptoms than men. Now, new research suggests another difference: less benefit from a surgery used to treat carotid artery disease, a key risk factor for stroke.

The disease, also called carotid stenosis, is marked by fatty deposits, called plaque, that build up inside the neck arteries and increase stroke risk. Surgery to remove the plaque, a procedure called an endarterectomy, is used to reduce this risk. The researchers found that among participants with symptoms from the plaque buildup, endarterectomy was more effective in men, with 11.1% of women having a stroke within five years of the surgery, compared to 8.9% of men.

AHA News: Stroke Death Rate Increasing for Middle-Aged Americans

THURSDAY, Nov. 7, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- In more than half of all counties across the country, a growing percentage of middle-aged Americans are dying of strokes, according to a new study.

The study – which examined stroke mortality rates at the county level – reveals a statistical jump previously masked by national data showing a leveling off of stroke mortality rates following years of decline. The study was published Nov. 8 in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

Frequent Pot Smokers Face Twice the Odds for Stroke

MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2019 -- Smoking pot doesn't do your heart or your brain any favors, a pair of new studies shows.

Frequent pot smokers are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared with those who don't partake, the first study found.

Could AI Beat Radiologists at Spotting Bleeds in the Brain?

THURSDAY, Oct. 24, 2019 -- Computer-driven artificial intelligence (AI) can help protect human brains from the damage wrought by stroke, a new report suggests.

A computer program trained to look for bleeding in the brain outperformed two of four certified radiologists, finding abnormalities in brain scans quickly and efficiently, the researchers reported.

Stroke Rate Continues to Fall Among Older Americans

TUESDAY, Oct. 1, 2019 -- Starting in the late 1980s, stroke rates among older Americans began to fall -- and the decline shows no signs of stopping, a new study finds.

The researchers found that between 1987 and 2017, the rate of stroke incidence among Americans aged 65 and older dropped by one-third per decade. The pattern has been steady, with no leveling off in recent years.

AHA News: Why Aren't More Stroke Survivors Getting Statins?

THURSDAY, Sept. 26, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- People with a history of stroke are less likely than those with heart disease to get cholesterol-lowering statin drugs despite the benefits, a new study has found.

Statins help protect the heart and brain by preventing artery plaques — buildups of cholesterol, calcium and other substances in blood vessels — from blocking blood flow and causing a heart attack or stroke. For patients with a history of such conditions, guidelines recommend statins to lower LDL, the "bad" cholesterol.