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| Vol. 25, No. 9 |
| May 15, 2003 |
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New Drugs Widen Window for Treating Strokes By ERIN FAIRCHILD The Methodist Hospital When it comes to fighting a stroke, it’s all about timing. No matter how advanced stroke treatments have become, the most important factor in preventing disabilities associated with stroke is getting to a stroke center quickly. A stroke sets off a cascade of events in the brain that can result in mental and physical impairment or death. Although studies are under way to find ways to lengthen the time available for effective treatment, the sooner a stroke specialist can step in and alter that course of events, the better the chance for recovery. “Currently, if a patient doesn’t receive treatment within three hours of a stroke, there is little a physician can do with the medications available today,” said David Chiu, M.D., neurologist and director of The Methodist Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine Stroke Center. “Our research is looking at ways to extend that time.” Research focusing on treatment after stroke falls into two main categories: thrombolytic and neuroprotective drugs. The goal of both treatment strategies is to prevent disability caused by stroke, including loss of functionality, speech and memory. Thrombolytic drugs, or “clot busters,” dissolve blood clots, restoring blood flow to parts of the brain that have been affected. The most well-known thrombolytic is tPA, used effectively in stroke centers today. However, three hours after a stroke, the risks associated with restoring blood flow to damaged brain tissue outweigh the benefits of tPA to a patient. The second category is a new class of treatments called neuroprotective agents, which ameliorate the chain of events that leads to death of brain cells after stroke. These drugs, currently in clinical trials at The Methodist Hospital, are not yet FDA approved. Chiu is studying a spectrum of neuroprotective agents with the goal of lengthening the window of opportunity for treating stroke. “We’re looking for more tools to have at our disposal that will, in effect, lengthen the amount of time in which we can still help a stroke patient recover with as much functionality as possible,” Chiu said. “Neuroprotective agents might be the answer.” Chiu is hoping that the neuroprotective drugs he is studying will prove to be effective on altering the destructive course of events that are initiated in the brain by a stroke. Different drugs target different events in the chain, thus lengthening the time a treatment can be administered to four, six or even 12 hours after the stroke, depending on when the event occurs in the chain. If these agents prove effective, they can greatly increase the quality of life for the 700,000 people who suffer strokes each year, Chiu said.
©2006 Texas Medical Center
E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
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