via Stroke Connection Magazine – American Stroke Association
Treatments that prevent recurrence of types of stroke and dementia caused by damage to small blood vessels in the brain have moved a step closer, following a small study.
The drugs – called cilostazol and isosorbide mononitrate – are already used to treat other conditions, such as heart disease and angina.
This is the first time they have been tested in the UK for the treatment of stroke or vascular dementia.
High tolerance
A study involving more than 50 stroke patients found that patients tolerated the drugs, with no serious side effects, even when the drugs were given in full dose or in combination with other medicines.
Experts say the findings pave the way for larger studies to check if the treatments can prevent brain damage and reduce risk of stroke and vascular dementia.
Damage to small blood vessels in the brain is responsible for around a quarter of strokes. It is also a common cause of memory problems and dementia.
Around 400,000 people in the UK are affected but there are no specific treatments. Currently the only way to reduce risk of the disease is by controlling blood pressure and cholesterol, stopping smoking and managing symptoms of diabetes.
Promising early signs
A team led by the Universities of Edinburgh and Nottingham recruited 57 patients who had experienced a stroke caused by damaged small blood vessels, known as a lacunar stroke.
Patients took the two medicines either individually or in combination for up to nine weeks, in addition to usual treatments aimed at preventing further strokes.
They completed health questionnaires and had regular blood pressure checks, blood tests and brain scans.
The findings suggest the drugs are safe for use in stroke patients, taken alone or in combination, at least in the short term.
There were also signs that the treatments helped improve blood vessel function in the arms and brain, and may improve thinking skills, but the researchers stress that further studies are needed to test this. A larger study, called LACI-2, is already underway.
Effective treatment
The study, published in EClinicalMedicine, was funded primarily by the Alzheimer’s Society, with support from the UK Stroke Association, British Heart Foundation, the European Union, National Institutes of Health Research, and NHS Research Scotland.
We are delighted that the results of this trial show promise for treating a common cause of stroke and the commonest cause of vascular dementia, since currently there are no effective treatments. Further trials are underway.
Professor Joanna Wardlaw Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
There hasn’t been a new drug for dementia for 15 years, so finding evidence that these cheap existing drugs could prevent dementia after a stroke would be a huge breakthrough. It’s promising to see that these two drugs are safe to use and we’ll be excited to see the results of the next stage of testing in a couple of years, which will show whether these drugs can be an effective treatment.
Dr James PickettHead of Research at Alzheimer’s Society
Learn more: Drugs to prevent stroke and dementia show promise
The Latest on: Stroke and vascular dementia
via Google News
The Latest on: Stroke and vascular dementia
- Endothelin-1 mediated vasoconstriction leads to memory impairment and synaptic dysfunctionon March 1, 2021 at 4:42 am
Such vascular insult caused by impairment in blood flow to specific area in brain involving small vessels can gradually worsen the pathology leading to cognitive deficits. In the present study we ...
- Virtual event raises awareness about health disparities among minority groupson February 22, 2021 at 10:26 am
Underserved communities are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – and in the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia, statistics point to a similar trend.
- Pursuing health equity for those with dementia: Eric VanVlymenon February 21, 2021 at 8:30 am
Alzheimer’s and dementia disproportionately impact communities of color, writes guest columnist Eric VanVlymen.
- March 3 virtual seminar to address health disparities and dementiaon February 18, 2021 at 10:06 pm
COVID-19 has laid bare some undesirable truths: underserved communities are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. In the field of Alzheimer’s and dementia, statistics point to a similarly ...
- Light and genetic probes untangle dynamics of brain blood flowon February 18, 2021 at 12:31 pm
While the human brain has over 400 miles of total vasculature, little is known about the tiny capillaries that make up much of this intricate labyrinth of blood vessels critical for delivering ...
- Prairie Doc Perspectives - Dementia affects the familyon February 17, 2021 at 12:36 pm
I was very young when my grandfather suffered his first stroke and began his battle with vascular dementia. I grew up understanding that he was not like the other adults ...
- Controlling CVD Risk Factors May Also Protect Against Dementiaon February 16, 2021 at 1:31 am
The researchers noted that midlife cardiovascular risk — especially hypertension — in asymptomatic patients was tied to middle-age brain hypometabolism in areas known to be affected by dementia.
- Why Doctors Say Protecting Your Heart Health Is Crucial for Preventing Dementiaon February 15, 2021 at 12:00 pm
But doctors and scientists are increasingly speaking up that dementia is largely just as preventable as heart disease—and may be preventable in the same exact ways. Neurologist ...
- High blood pressure and dementiaon February 15, 2021 at 3:38 am
Both type of strokes cause brain cell death that can lead to the development of stroke-related or post-stroke vascular dementia. Narrowing of the blood vessels especially deep inside the brain does ...
- Apathy, Fatigue, Delirium Harbingers of Vascular Dementia, Stroke?on February 10, 2021 at 10:01 am
Neuropsychiatric symptoms may be an early indicator of severe cerebral small-vessel disease (cSVD), a common cause of vascular dementia and stroke that until now was considered clinically silent.
via Bing News
