According to a new study published in the February 16, 2010 issue of Neurology, the rates of recurrent stroke, heart attack, and death increase during the first 4 years after hospitalization for stroke.

These findings are based on database research on more than 10,000 patients hospitalized for stroke in South Carolina. Although the risk for recurrent stroke or death was highest among stroke patients at 1 year, the risk continued to steadily increase up to 4 years after the initial stroke. Among stroke survivors, the risk for recurrent stroke was 8% and the risk for death was 24.5% in the first year. The risk for recurrent stroke increased to 18.1% and the risk for all-cause death increased to 41.3% by fours after the first stroke.

Existing data on the risk for recurrent stroke among stroke survivors mostly comes from clinical trials or community-based studies; however, the data from these relatively small community-based studies varies widely. What the findings of this current study mean is that, if South Carolina is representative of national data, then secondary stroke prevention still requires considerable improvement in order to reduce the rate of recurrent stroke, heart attack, and all-cause or vascular death.

Source:

Neurology. 2010; 74: 588-593.