HHS HealthBeat (August 18, 2008)

The stroke they didn’t know they had

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

They’re called silent strokes – the kind people don’t realize they had, because silent strokes don’t create devastating symptoms. But they are worth worrying about; they raise the risk of future strokes.

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine did brain scans of middle-aged people who thought they were stroke-free, and found evidence of silent strokes in about 11 percent.

These folks also had higher scores on a screening test based on risk factors for stroke.

Researcher Sudha Seshadri says the findings mean people should pay attention to controlling stroke risks.

``It re-emphasizes the importance of adhering to the American Heart Association and other guidelines.’’  (7 seconds)

The study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 18 2008