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Quality of life can be 'improved' by stroke drug
June 26, 2013
Study suggests patients who receive treatment within six hours have a better quality of life.
Stroke patients who receive anti-clotting drugs within six hours of falling ill may have a better quality of life, according to a study.
International research published in the Lancet Neurology journal looked at 3,000 patients worldwide. It found those who were given treatment with alteplase in the immediate aftermath of the stroke were likely to have a better standard of life 18 months after the event.
While the drug seemed to be related to higher quality of life in the medium term, it did not improve the likelihood of survival, the study found.
Alteplase is not without risk, as it may cause a potentially fatal bleed in the brain in the first week of treatment. Around three in 100 patients will suffer this side effect.
Study leader Professor Peter Sandercock, from the University of Edinburgh Centre for Clinical Brain Studies, said it was important for doctors to highlight risks as it is "a difficult decision" for patients and their families.
More than 150,000 people suffer strokes in the UK each year, of which around 85% are caused by blood clots in the brain.
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