Dutch researchers find minor strokes spell serious trouble ahead

Jul 11, 2005, 1:15 GMT

London - A minor stroke from which the patient appears to recover completely is often the harbinger of serious vascular trouble in the years ahead, Dutch researchers have reported in the British medical journal, The Lancet.

The researchers, led by Ale Algra of the University Medical Centre in Utrecht surveyed 2,400 patients from 24 hospitals across the Netherlands.

They found that 10 years after a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or minor ischaemic stroke, 54 per cent of patients had suffered a further stroke or a heart attack.

Some 60 per cent of the patients had died within the 10-year period, according to the study, which contradicts previous ideas on recovery from strokes.

A TIA is a mild stroke, where recovery is complete within 24 hours. A minor ischaemic stroke is more serious, but the patient also makes a full recovery. Strokes are caused by a blockage in blood vessels supplying the brain.

Previous studies have focused on the five years after a minor stroke, and seemed to indicate no lasting effects within that period.

In an accompanying article in The Lancet, Graeme Hankey, a professor at the Royal Perth Hospital in Australia, said treatment after strokes needed to change.

"The implications... are that patients with TIA and minor ischaemic stroke should be repeatedly assessed, treated to prevent cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events, and treated long term," Hankey said.