Women have more to gain from clot-busting therapy for stroke

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

According to an analysis of clinical trials, women lose out if they are not treated with a clot-buster after a stroke.
Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-TPA) is a drug known to help people through its clot-busting properties. If given promptly after symptoms begin, it can dissolve the clot that is blocking the blood supply to the brain.

Researchers at the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston now report upon how gender differences influence outcomes in stroke in those who do and do not receive r-TPA. In trials where men received r-TPA or placebo, the outcome after 90 days was similar - suggesting little benefit from the clot-buster.

But women who received r-TPA did better than those on placebo. In all, there was little difference in the outcomes between men and women on the clot-buster. But women on placebo did worse than men on placebo. This suggests that women have more to gain by being given a clot-buster after a stroke. The findings also suggest there is much to be learned about stroke through these gender differences, which could find application in new approaches to therapy.

Source
Stroke January 2005 Volume 36 pages 62-65

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