This section contains links to recent stroke research articles and news stories. Where possible, we have included links to related journal articles.
10 Factors Associated with 90% Risk of Stroke
McMaster University researchers have found that there are 10 risk factors that determine almost all risks of stroke world-wide. (read more)
Two of Canada’s Networks of Centres of Excellence – the Canadian Stroke Network and the Advanced Foods & Materials Network – today awarded the third annual national “Salt Lick Award” to Gerber Graduates Lil’ Entrées. This choice was made because the “Chicken & Pasta Wheel Pickups” dinner serves up the sodium equivalent to two orders of medium McDonald’s Fries. (read more)
Recent immigrants, most of whom are under 50 years of age, may be healthier than long-time residents of a country. (read more)
Foundation researches how to limit stroke damage, reduce blood pressure
When a stroke causes bleeding into the brain, blood pressure is often very high. Clinicians might respond by either allowing the pressure to remain high or by lowering it quickly. (read more)
Foundation studies if hotline can cut stroke rates in Alberta
Foundation funded researcher Dr. Shelagh Coutts is aiming to cut stroke rates in Alberta with a pilot project to test a hotline for mini strokes. (read more)
Federal government commits $19.2 million to support Canadian Stroke Network
The Canadian Stroke Network, one of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence, has received $19.2 million from the federal government over three years to support valuable research into stroke, one of the leading causes of death and disability in Canada. (read more)
Stroke Care Unit Opens at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) and the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) celebrated the grand opening today of the Jacob and Leopoldine Wolfe Family Stroke Care Unit at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre (WRC). (read more)
Home-based stroke rehab beneficial, Foundation study shows
Dramatic improvements in the ability of patients to move their arms and hands after stroke might be achieved with a simple take-home exercise book, researchers funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation have found. (read more)
Foundation study evaluates stroke prevention after TIA
A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a mini stroke that lasts only a few minutes to a few hours and can warn that you are at risk of a more severe stroke. People who have had a TIA are five times more likely to have a stroke over the next two years than the general population.
Music reawakens the brain after stroke
Parts of the brain that control attention, vision and action can be damaged during a stroke, causing “visual neglect.” Although the eye is not damaged, the part of the brain that processes sight does not work properly. (read more)
McDonald Scholarship researcher looks at stroke-triggering heart condition
This year’s McDonald Scholar has already devoted a decade to furthering the understanding of the inner workings of ion channels that, among other things, regulate the body’s electrical circuitry. (read more)
Foundation scholar wants to stop brain damage during stroke
Scientists have long understood what causes the most common type of stroke: the blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot. (read more)
Binge drinking linked to increased stroke risk
It’s well-known that binge drinking is not good for your health and a new study shows it may have an even more pronounced effect on your brain than you thought. (read more)
Lifestyle changes may trump surgery for stroke prevention
Lifestyle changes could be an effective, yet safe alternative to plaque-removing surgery for those who have narrowed carotid arteries without any other warning signs for stroke, researchers reported at the World Stroke Congress. (read more)
Mirrors reflect hope for faster stroke recovery
A simple household item, the mirror, may speed recovery of partially paralyzed stroke patients by creating the illusion that their paralyzed limb is moving in sync with their good limb, Japanese researchers reported at this year’s World Stroke Congress. (read more)
Walking rewires brain and body after stroke
Even years after a stroke occurs, walking on a treadmill could help people significantly improve their mobility and brain-to-body connection, say the authors of a study published in the journal Stroke. (read more)
Your stroke risk increases if your partner smokes
According to a study from the Journal of Preventive Medicine, being married to someone who is a smoker can increase your risk of stroke by 42%. The good news is that if your partner quits smoking, the risk of stroke decreases for both of you. (read more)
Depressed heart patients have higher stroke risk
Heart disease and depression can be a dangerous combination. According to a recent study, heart patients experiencing symptoms of depression had a twofold increase in their risk of stroke compared to other heart patients. (read more)
Stroke risk lower for veggie, fruit lovers
Researchers have found a link between increased consumption of vegetables and a lower risk of stroke, a recent study shows. (read more)
Large waistline linked to stroke risk
An expanding waistline — already known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease — may also increase risk for stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
The more young women smoke, the more their risk of stroke rises, according to one of the first studies to examine the relationship between higher rates of smoking and stroke in young women. The study was published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Healthy lifestyle dramatically cuts stroke risk
Following an overall healthy lifestyle that lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes can also dramatically lower the risk of stroke, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the study, people with five healthy lifestyle habits had about an 80 percent lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to people with none of the healthy habits. (read more)
Arrival method, slow response often delay stroke care
Most stroke patients can’t recall when their symptoms started or do not arrive at the hospital in a timely manner, so they cannot be considered for time-dependent therapies such as the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
Putting Heart into Protecting the Brain: Fast Facts from the Evaluation Report
Background: A Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) is a stroke-like event with symptoms that resolve within 24 hours. It is estimated that, annually, 7000 Ontarians experience a TIA. Individuals who experience a TIA are at very high risk: 90 days after a TIA, 25% of patients have experienced a stroke or other adverse event. (read more)
Ten Percent of Healthy People in Study had Injury from "Silent Strokes"
A recent study found that about 10 percent of the apparently healthy middle-aged participants with no symptoms of stroke were injured from "silent strokes", researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
Sudden Hearing Loss could indicate future Stroke
Preliminary research culled from a national medical insurance records database in Taiwan suggests that sudden loss of hearing might be an early sign of vulnerability to stroke, foreshadowing an actual cerebrovascular event by as much as two years, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
Canadians Don't Get the 9-1-1 on Stroke
At least half of Canadians do not treat stroke as a medical emergency, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Report on Stroke. In a national poll of adults, the Heart and Stroke Foundation found that less than half would call 9-1-1 if they or someone they know experienced warning signs of a stroke. (read more)
High BP in Kids linked to Adult Hypertension
High blood pressure in childhood is associated with higher blood pressure in adulthood, according to the most comprehensive study ever conducted on blood pressure tracking
Insulin Resistance linked to Peripheral Artery Disease
For the first time, a strong link has been found between insulin resistance and peripheral artery disease, a risk factor for heart attacks and stroke. (read more)
Dietary Sodium Contributes to Stroke and Heart Disease
As many as 17,000 fewer Canadians would have a stroke, heart attack or suffer from heart failure every year if they consumed the recommended optimal daily level of dietary sodium, according to a study published today in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology. (read more)
Learn how to control a silent killer
Canadians can help control a silent killer by regularly monitoring their blood pressure and keeping it under control, says the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF). “It is important that all Canadians know and control their blood pressure,” says Dr. Arun Chockalingam, secretary general of the World Hypertension League (WHL). “High blood pressure − known as the silent killer due to its lack of symptoms − is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease.” (read more)
Measure your Blood Pressure at home
The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is to measure it...so measure at home. The message this year from the World Hypertension League. (read more)
Preventing falls important for Stroke Patients
Stroke patients are at high risk for falls and subsequent injuries after leaving the hospital, but prevention programs may reduce this risk, New Zealand researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
Stroke survivors walk better after human-assisted rehab
Walking therapy for stroke survivors is significantly more effective when conducted by a physical therapist instead of a robot, according a small study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. Research suggests that, for a patient who has neurological damage from stroke or spinal cord injury, moving the legs in a way that mimics walking on a treadmill can facilitate walking recovery... Some research has shown that robotic devices could improve walking ability, but recent animal studies have indicated that providing strict guidance during training could reduce the recovery achieved. (read more)
Depression, Disability, keep about half of Stroke Survivors from Working
Post-stroke depression keeps nearly as many patients from returning to work as physical disability, researchers report in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
In an Australian/New Zealand collaborative study that followed 210 men and women (average age 55) who had paying jobs in the month before their stroke, 55 percent (112 people) returned to work within six months. (read more)
Study urges improvement to outdated, inefficient, stroke rehabilitation system in Canada
Stroke rehabilitation in Canada needs a significant overhaul given the current system is outdated, inefficient, and funnels too many people into costly nursing home beds, according to a Canadian Stroke Network-funded report in the March issue of Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. (read more)
Smoking and high blood pressure: a double blow for bleeding stroke risk
Smoking may exacerbate the increased risk of a blood vessel bursting inside the brain (intracerebral stroke) already faced by people with high blood pressure, according to a new study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. (read more)
Organized care can prevent nine out of 10 in-hospital stroke deaths
Nine out of 10 in-hospital deaths could be prevented within the first week following stroke by putting in place organized care, according to startling new research from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network. (read more)
Hospitals need equivalent of "Code Blue" for stroke patients Canadian study shows
Patients who have a stroke while in hospital are less likely to benefit from rapid access to acute stroke care than those who come in to the emergency room with the same condition, according to a Canadian Stroke Network study... (read more)
Neurological conditions cost Canada nearly $9B a year
Neurological conditions such as Stroke and Alzheimer's disease cost Canada nearly $9 billion a year, say neurologists, who warn that the health-care system may not be able to handle the increased burden of an aging population. Friday's report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, titled The Burden of Neurological Diseases, Disorders and Injuries in Canada, is a consensus report by neurologists who tallied the costs of 11 conditions they treat. Stroke accounts for 29 per cent of the $8.8 billion in direct costs from neurological conditions, followed by Alzheimer's at 19 per cent, then migraine and cluster headaches at close to 18 per cent.
To view full report, click here.