Right brain stroke may be underdiagnosed

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

People who have a stroke affecting the left side of the brain may be more readily diagnosed that those who have a stroke on the right side, according to a study.
Symptoms of a stroke may vary depending on where in the brain the event has occurred. Those who have a stroke on the left hand side of the brain may experience speech difficulties. A stroke on the right hand side may produce less obvious symptoms.

A team at Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, looked at over 20,000 patients on a stroke registry to compare how left and right-sided stroke were treated. Of these, 11,300 had left-brain stroke and 8,700 had right-brain stroke. More of those with a left-brain stroke were treated with clot-busting drugs and more of them were admitted to hospital within three hours of stroke onset.

The findings suggest that it could, indeed, be harder to recognize a right-brain stroke. More awareness of symptoms could help those with a right-brain stroke get prompt, and even life-saving, treatment.

Source
The Lancet 30th July 2005

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