Nearly 15% of All Strokes Occur During Sleep

Researchers from the University of Cincinnati have come up with a worrying statistic that shows that nearly 15 percent of all strokes occur during sleep and thereby increasing the risk of suffering brain damage since the patient cannot receive the proper treatment in time. Doctors often apply the tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA treatment for stroke patients during the first few hours of the attack. However if the treatment is administered later, then it can lead to various complications in the patient.

The researchers studied more than 1,850 patients over the age of 18 years from around the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. They found that around 273 patients suffered from “wake up” strokes during the period of the study.

Even though it is very difficult to know when exactly the stroke had occurred, Temple University School of Medicine’s Ausim Azizi says that it is imperative to call the emergency services if you suspect that you had suffered a stroke.

“No matter what, still the best thing to do is to go to the hospital. There are imaging technologies that can show if there's brain tissue left that is not completely dead and can be salvaged”, Azizi said.


Source-Medindia