TOCHIGI, Japan — People who have high blood pressure while asleep are more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease, especially heart failure, in the future, a new study reveals. In fact, researchers at Jichi Medical University in Japan warn that even when a patient’s daytime blood pressure is within normal ranges, they are still more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke.

Medical practitioners typically use in-office and daytime blood pressure measurements to determine a patient’s hypertension medication needs and dosages. But many patients may have undetected high blood pressure while sleeping, also known as nocturnal hypertension, scientists say.

“Nighttime blood pressure is increasingly being recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular risk,” says lead author Professor Kazuomi Kario, a professor of cardiovascular medicine, in a statement to the American Heart Association. “This study provides much more in-depth information about the cardiovascular risk associated with high nighttime blood pressure and different nighttime blood pressure phenotypes than have been reported previously.”

Patients’ blood pressure monitored during the day and while sleeping

For the study, data was collected from 6,359 adults from across Japan between 2009 and 2017. Nearly half of the study participants were male, and more than half were at least 65 years old. The patients all had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, and three-quarters of them were taking blood pressure medications. None had symptomatic cardiovascular disease when the study began.

Researchers measured daytime and nighttime blood pressure levels using an at-home, wearable monitor. Measurements were taken for at least 24 hours at a time, and device data were periodically downloaded at a health care clinic. Participants were instructed to self-report their daily activities along with sleep and wake times in a diary. A

Almost every participant recorded 20 daytime and seven night-time automated blood pressure measurements. Follow-ups occurred annually via phone or clinic visit, with total follow up ranging from two to seven years.

Researchers analyzed the rates of cardiovascular disease events, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and death, among the participants. The occurrence and timing of heart events in relation to blood pressure variations was analyzed to determine whether there were any associations.

In all, participants experienced a total of 306 cardiovascular events, including 119 strokes, 99 diagnoses of coronary artery disease, and 88 diagnoses of heart failure.

‘Significant, independent risk factor for cardiovascular events’

Authors say that an abnormal reading, or a systolic blood pressure measuring 20 mm Hg above a person’s daytime systolic reading, is significantly linked to the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Similarly, participants with an abnormal circadian pattern, which occurs when sleep blood pressure exceeds daytime readings, were at particular risk of developing heart failure and had a greater risk of experiencing any heart disease event.

Excessive reduction of blood pressure during sleep may also be detrimental. Patients with well-controlled hypertension showed a significantly increased risk of stroke when nighttime systolic pressure took extreme dips.

“Results indicate that nighttime systolic blood pressure was a significant, independent risk factor for cardiovascular events,” says Kario. “The study highlights the importance of including nighttime blood pressure monitoring in patient management strategies and will hopefully encourage physicians to ensure that antihypertensive therapy is effectively lowering blood pressure throughout the 24-hour dosing period.”

But the authors note that their study is not without limitations.

Ambulatory data were obtained once at the start of the study. However, no information was available regarding the contributions of subsequent changes in ambulatory blood pressure levels up until the time of diagnosis of a cardiac event. The study also focused on systolic, rather than diastolic, measurements due to the older age of the participants.

The authors say study evaluations did not include echocardiograms, thus preventing some degree of differentiation for types of heart failure.

The new research is published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

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(HealthDay)—Millions of Americans with high blood pressure are at risk of heart attack and stroke, but just a few changes might cut that risk.

“In February, American Heart Month, we encourage all Americans to take control of their heart health by better understanding and monitoring their blood pressure levels and making healthy lifestyle changes that can significantly reduce their risk of serious health consequences associated with high blood pressure,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, president of the American Medical Association (AMA).

“High blood pressure is the nation’s leading risk factor for heart attack and stroke, yet an overwhelming number of U.S. adults are living with uncontrolled high blood pressure,” Harris said in an association news release.

In honor of American Heart Month, the AMA provided six tips for improving heart health:

• Know your blood pressure. Understand what your numbers mean and how you can get your blood pressure under control.
• Follow a treatment plan to manage your high blood pressure. Work with your doctor and commit to realistic lifestyle changes.
• Get active. Healthy adults from ages 18 to 65 should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week.
• Eat less processed food. Try to stay away from foods with added sodium and sugar. Instead, eat more plant-based foods and foods that are rich in potassium (these include bananas, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, avocados, greens, tomatoes).
• Keep your weight under control. If you’re overweight, take steps to shed a few pounds. Being 20 or more pounds overweight can put you at risk.
• Consume alcohol in moderation, if at all. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderation is defined by women having up to one drink per day and men up to two.

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A new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, has suggested that older people may need different recommendations to maintain healthy blood pressure.

More than half of the Americans aged 60 and above have high blood pressure (hypertension) and it is important to maintain one’s blood pressure to prevent life-threatening events, such as heart attack, stroke, or kidney disease.

According to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, people who are 65 or above should not have a systolic blood pressure of more than 130 mmHg.

Many older people develop health issues by the time they reach 85. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce estimation, at least 10 percent of Americans will be 85 or older by 2050.

And the new study, which was conducted on more than 1,160 participants, has recommended blood pressure guidelines for individuals who are 85 or above.

Researchers looked at the participants who had experienced heart attacks, strokes, changes in kidney function, cognitive decline, quality of life reduction, and who had died. They found that around 27 percent of them had a history of heart disease, while the majority of them had three or more medical conditions.

The average age of the participants was 84. More than half of them were taking five or more medications for their health issues.

The researchers found that the participants had a systolic blood pressure of approximately 142 mmHg.

Dividing the participants into two groups, the researchers wanted to determine whether aggressively controlling the blood pressure would help lower the risk of strokes, heart attacks, cognitive decline, or death.

One group received “intensive” treatment to bring down their systolic blood pressure under 120 mmHg, while the other group received assistance to keep their blood pressure under 140 mmHg.

The group that achieved systolic levels to 120 mmHg or less had a lower risk of cardiac events and cognitive impairment; however, they had significant changes in their kidney function, some requiring hospitalization due to kidney damage.

The development of dementia in both groups was about the same. The study suggests that reducing the risk of heart disease or cognitive decline may well outweigh the risk of changes in kidney function.

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Malnutrition involves consuming nutrients that are either too much or not enough in a way that it causes health problems. The health issue has been a longstanding predicament worldwide, and now, a new study shows that a third of the poorest countries in the world are facing high levels of obesity, as well as undernutrition.

The study, which was published in The Lancet,highlights the worldwide problem of malnutrition, whether it may be obesity or undernourishment, which leads to various health problems. The study also sheds light on common factors contributing to malnutrition, such as global access to ultra-processed foods and less physical activity.

Rapid changes in food systems

Further, the researchers reiterate that a new approach is required to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time since both issues have become increasingly tied due to fast changes in the world’s food choices. The issue is rampant specifically in low- and middle-income countries.

Malnutrition and obesity can drive many effects since they are tied to poor health in children as well as adults. Due to the speed in changes in food systems, more people face problems with both types of malnutrition throughout their lifetime. With the exposure to extremes of malnutrition, it magnifies many harmful health effects.

The modern food systems prevent such countries and people living in it to consume safe, cheap, and healthy diets, which are sustainable and accessible,

Malnutrition by the numbers

There are about 2.3 billion children and adults who are overweight across the globe. Among children, an estimated 150 million are stunted or having prevented from developing or growing properly. The study also explored the trends behind the connection, known as the double burden of malnutrition.

In the study, one in three of such countries had overlapping types of malnutrition (45 of 123 countries in the 1990s, and 40 of 126 countries in the 2010s), specifically in South Asia, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Pacific.

More alarming findings show that more than 15 percent of people had wasted, more than 20 percent of women were too thin, while more than 20 percent of people were overweight, and 30 percent of children had stunted growth, according to the survey data conducted by the group from low- and middle countries in the 1990s and 2010s.

Further, about 14 countries in the 2010s with the lowest incomes across the globe had recently had a double burden of malnutrition compared to what they were in the 1990s. The results also show that fewer of third world countries with the highest incomes were impacted.

The researchers added that the availability of ultra-processed foods has been linked to weight gain, which affects mostly infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Such changes include the lack of availability of fresh food markets and the increasing access to supermarkets.

Also, the trend of being undernourished early in life followed by becoming obese or overweight from childhood and in the future may be associated with a higher risk of developing chronic diseases or non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

The journal has three other related-papers that build on the first paper’s work, exploring the double burden of malnutrition and its health impacts.

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High blood pressure aka hypertension is one of the leading preventable causes of early deaths across the world. More than 1.5 billion worldwide are suffering from the same. High blood pressure is when the pressure of the circulating blood against the arteries is higher than the normal. If not controlled, one can also suffer from heart complications, strokes, kidney, eyes, and brain disorders. Common causes of high blood pressure are genetics, obesity, poor lifestyle, high levels of junk food consumption, sleep apnea and no physical activity among others.  The normal BP is around 120/80 mm Hg. So, if your reading is between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg then you are at the risk of developing hypertension. If the readings are more than 140/90 mm Hg then you are having high BP.

As per the latest study, people who live in coastal regions in Bangladesh showed lower BP when they consumed drinking water which had higher levels of salinity. Yes, that’s right! As we know that higher salinity will, of course, have more sodium which leads to higher BP, however, it also has more calcium and magnesium as well.

As per one of the studies, people who drank the water of mild or moderate level salinity had more sodium in their urine than people who drank freshwater of low salinity. However, the calcium and magnesium levels of the water had shown lower levels of systolic and diastolic pressure as the mineral counteract the sodium, as mentioned earlier. However, one of the researchers confirmed that the studies didn’t show that the addition of calcium and magnesium to drinking water lowers BP or not.

As per AHA, people should get vitamins and minerals via their diet. Unfortunately, many of us are deficient when it comes to minerals and vitamins as a healthy diet is followed by few. Ideally, one should get adequate amounts of minerals and vitamins on a daily basis. Again, as per the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, they don’t recommend the use of supplements as a way to protect against diseases.

Speaking of how one can curb or prevent hypertension, one should increase the intake of potassium-rich food items, include physical activity on a daily basis, weight management, stress management, reduce the consumption of sodium-rich foodstuffs, alcohol, and smoking as well.

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DECEMBER 4 — Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a most common chronic health disorder amongst Malaysians. Some healthcare professionals argue that blood pressure goes up as part of the ageing process, whereas many believe that it’s linked more closely to lifestyle and dietary habits. Conventional treatment focuses on controlling blood pressure, where complementary therapies seek to reverse hypertension by natural means over time.

Health Dangers

Risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney damage is significantly increased when blood pressure is highly elevated.  Some of the longest living individuals have blood pressure of around 115/75 in their 60s. Health problems may appear when blood pressure is above 130/90. Hypertension is widely recognised as a silent killer since this disorder takes years to develop and it can eventually trigger a potentially fatal heart attack or stroke.

Adequate rest

Chronic sleep deprivation is a risk factor for hypertension, besides promoting diabetes, weight gain, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Less than five-hours sleep has been linked to 73 per cent increased risk of obesity, which condition can itself lead to hypertension. A four-hour sleep per night raises the hormone GHrelin, which increases appetite for food. It also lowers the hormone leptin, which helps us to suppress our appetite. Insomnia increases your stress hormone cortisol while raising inflammatory markers such IL-6 and C – reactive protein.  Chronic inflammation has been linked to most modern-day chronic health disorders including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune disease, obesity, and most types of cancer.  Foods that promote sleep would include those rich in the amino acid L-tryptophan such as from soy isolate, egg white, fresh corn, peanut, pecan nut,  almond, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, seaweeds, wheat bran, wheat germ,  wild rice, and cheeses.

Lower sodium intake

The major food sources for sodium include table salt (in any form), MSG, soy sauce, canned or preserved foods, packaged food, and processed meat/vegetable products. Only a very small amount of sodium may be needed daily for non-physically active individuals. If excess sodium is a major cause of your hypertension, then foods rich in the mineral potassium may lower it and these include tapioca leaf, Sengkuang, tomato, potato skin, white mushroom, beans, dark green vegetables, dried apricot, prune, raisin, avocado, and banana.

Sugary foods

The list includes soft drinks, packaged fruit juices, alcoholic beverages, and food items made from refined flour such as white bread, buns, pastry, biscuits, breakfast cereals, roti, and noodles. They promote rapid insulin response leading to weight gain. Consuming more complex carbohydrates such as those from vegetables, seeds, nuts, and unrefined whole grains can lead to better weight management.

Deep-fried foods

Except for virgin coconut oil and perhaps palm oil, vegetable-based cooking oils (corn, sunflower, soy, safflower, olive) tend to easily oxidize (degenerate) and may form dangerous trans fats when fried at high temperatures. 

Lifestyles & dietary habits recommended

• Use sesame oil and/or extra virgin coconut oil in food preparation;
• Reduce alcohol and caffeine intake from strong coffee, strong tea, or soft drinks;
• Quit smoking;
• Avoid fruits high in fructose;
• Avoid food products with hydrogenated or partly hydrogenated fats;
• Reduce intake of red meat, organ meat, or preserved meat products;
• Avoid salted fish, egg, meat, and vegetables as well as miso soup, unless you perspire a lot daily;
• Higher daily intake of fresh organic vegetables;
• Add generous amount of spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic and chili to your cooking;
• Avoid having supper, but have nutritious breakfast with little or no processed food items;
• Have a cup of warm Malaysian cocoa (rich in magnesium) at bedtime;
• Add unsalted and non-deep-fried nuts and seeds to your diets;
• Adequate daily intake of plain (slightly alkaline) water;
• Regular exercises including walking, jogging, aerobic, treadmill, and supervised resistance training;
• Incorporate regular relaxation programmes such as reading, deep breathing, meditation, music therapy, massage therapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, self-hypnosis, far infra-ray, qigong, yoga, and mid-day napping (especially for senior citizens);
• Get involved in a useful hobby or joining a support group or social club;
• Develop a habit of learning more self-help techniques for coping with your own chronic health conditions; and
• Maintain a relaxing, pleasing, and positive attitude toward life.

Therapeutic Foods

A principal vegetable for lowering hypertension is fresh celery. Besides potassium-rich foods, other helpful food items include star fruit, guava, almond, water cress, bell pepper, cocoa powder, coconut meat, garlic, fatty fish and dark green vegetables such as spinach and kailan.

Nutraceuticals

After carefully evaluating your overall health conditions, the qualified nutritional medicine practitioner may supervise your controlled intake of nutrients such as L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-glutamine, L-tryptophan, EPA/DHA, B’s vitamins, ginsenosides, magnesium citrate, and potassium citrate. Do not self-treat. Seek competent advice on reducing abdominal fat. Hypertension may also have a genetic link (eg. Asians carrying the ApoE4 allele). If you’re already on medication(s), you must not stop on your own accord without seeking medical advice.  

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The number of people in England who are obese has almost doubled over the past 20 years to 13 million, which is just under 30% of the population.

Health experts said the dramatic rise in the number of dangerously overweight people was a damning indictment of the government’s failure to tackle the obesity crisis.

While about 6.96 million people aged 16 and above in England were obese in 1997, that had soared to just over 13 million by 2018, according to analysis by the charity Diabetes UK.

Over the same period the proportion of people over 16 who had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30 – the definition of obesity – also increased sharply from 18% to 29%.

The surge in obesity is adding to the strain on the NHS because it is leading to more patients needing care for related conditions such as cancers, heart attacks and strokes, and also knee replacements.

“The rise in obesity in England is alarming, and shines a harsh and necessary light on the need for urgent, decisive, action from government and industry to make our society healthier,” said Chris Askew, Diabetes UK’s chief executive.

The Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of health and medical groups, said the increased prevalence of foods high in fat, salt or sugar was an important factor.

“In the last 20 years our food environment has become increasingly flooded with calorific and sugary processed food and we are now paying the price with our health,” said Caroline Cerny, the OHA’s alliance lead.

The number of people who are obese topped 10 million for the first time in 2008. Since then it has risen again to the 13 million seen in 2017, according to Diabetes UK’s calculations.

The charity arrived at the figures by applying statistics from the annual Health Survey for England showing the percentage of the population who are obese, to Office for National Statistics data for the size of England’s population every year since 1997.

“People want to make healthier choices. But without bold measures in place to support this on a societal level, individuals are left confused, stigmatised and unsupported,” added Askew. “It’s easy to blame individuals, but we need to look at the environment we all exist within to understand how we’ve reached this point. And we need bold leadership from the very top to turn the tide on the obesity and type 2 diabetes crises.”

Rachel Batterham, the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on obesity, said: “This report offers a truly damning picture of the state of our nation’s health. Obesity not only drastically diminishes the quality of people’s lives, often leading to devastating diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers and causing people to die prematurely. It is a complex, chronic, progressive disease driven by factors such as genetics, environment, and health inequalities.

“It is governments, not individuals, which can have an impact on the food environment through regulation and taxation, and by controlling availability and affordability.”

Being obese represents 80% to 85% of a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes, according to Diabetes UK.

The spread of obesity has been accompanied by a sharp rise in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes. There are thought to be 3.7 million diabetics in England, though of those 850,000 remain unaware that they have it, the charity said.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, has warned that “obesity is the new smoking” and has called for bolder action to reduce sugar intake and promote healthier diets.

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Taking blood pressure medication at bedtime rather than on waking halves the risk of events such as heart attack and stroke, a major study has revealed.

Experts say the findings could potentially transform the way such medications are prescribed, but questions remain, not least why taking the medication at night has such a profound effect.

Prof Ramón Hermida, first author of the study from the University of Vigo in Spain, said the effect was thought to be down to the body’s internal clock that means processes and chemicals within our bodies vary over a 24-hour period.

The upshot, he said, was that the same drug could have vastly different effects if taken at a different point in time, something that has been dubbed “chronotherapy”.

“The same antihypertensive medication, the same molecule, at the same dose, ingested at two different times have totally different pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and therefore they behave as two totally different medications,” said Hermida.

Previous research has shown that high blood pressure during sleep, and only small differences between blood pressure during the day and night, are both important risk factors for cardiovascular problems.

There have also been studies suggesting blood pressure medications are more effective when taken in the evening and might result in fewer heart attacks and strokes.

As a result, the team set out to compare the long-term implications of adopting a bedtime, rather than waking time, routine for taking blood pressure medication in a large trial.

Writing in the European Heart Journal, the team report how they randomly split more than 19,000 adults with high blood pressure into two groups. Half of the patients were asked to take all their medication at bedtime while the other half were asked to take it upon waking.

Crucially, said Hermida, fixed times were not given so that participants took their medication at the same point in the daily routine.

The patients were then followed for between four and eight years, with blood pressure measured over a 48-hour period at the outset and at least once a year during the study. In total 1,752 cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, death from cardiovascular disease and heart failure were recorded during the study.

While the impact on daytime blood pressure was similar, those taking their medication at bedtime had a small but significantly greater reduction in blood pressure during sleep compared with those taking medication on waking, as well as a greater difference in blood pressure when sleeping compared with being awake.

Among possible explanations, Hermida said it was known that the hormone system that regulates blood pressure peaks in activity during sleep, meaning it might be that medications that interact with this system have a greater effect when taken just before bed.

After taking into account factors such as age, sex, smoking status, history of cardiovascular events and typical decrease in blood pressure when asleep, the team found patients who took their medication at bedtime had a 56% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, a 49% lower risk of stroke and a 44% lower risk of heart attack compared with the other group.

The team say the findings need to be confirmed in a more diverse range of ethnicities, while it is not clear if they would hold among those undertaking shift work.

Prof Stephen MacMahon, the principal director of the George Institute for Global Health at Oxford University, who was not involved in the study, said such a profound effect on cardiovascular events was surprising given the modest differences in blood pressure.

However, Hermida said the blood pressure medication could be operating on many different biological processes that vary in their activity over the course of the day.

Besides the effect on blood pressure, the team found those who took the medication at bedtime also showed better kidney function and cholesterol measures, both of which are important factors when it comes to cardiovascular disease.

Paul Leeson, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Oxford University, said the next step was to unpick why the timing of the medication had such an effect, something that could soon become clear with results from other big studies.

“This study has the potential to transform how we prescribe blood pressure medication,” he said.

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While many doctors will prescribe medication to help patients suffering from high blood pressure (and those medications can be very effective), those tend to come with side effects. So in pursuit of avoiding less-than-pleasant side effects, many people have found success in natural remedies. And we’re not talking about natural remedies based on anecdotal evidence, like drinking funky tea or getting into meditation — we’re talking about simple changes to your lifestyle and diet.

Interestingly, high blood pressure typically shows no signs or symptoms, earning it the not-so-cheerful nickname of the “silent killer.” But if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with high blood pressure, there’s no reason to panic just yet. Read on for everything you need to know about high blood pressure and how to naturally manage the condition, which affects about 75 million adults in the U.S.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

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OAKLAND, Calif. — Both numbers in a blood pressure reading — the “upper” systolic and the “lower” diastolic — independently predicted the risk of heart attack or stroke in a very large Kaiser Permanente study that included more than 36 million blood pressure readings from more than 1 million people. The study, which was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, runs counter to decades of previous research indicating that high systolic blood pressure is more likely than diastolic pressure to result in adverse outcomes.

“This research brings a large amount of data to bear on a basic question, and it gives such a clear answer,” said lead author Alexander C. Flint, MD, Kaiser Permanente stroke specialist and adjunct researcher with the Division of Research. “Every way you slice the data, the systolic and diastolic pressures are both important.”

The current retrospective study is “the largest by far of its kind,” Dr. Flint said, reviewing 36 million blood pressure readings taken during outpatient visits between 2007 and 2016, from 1.3 million adult Kaiser Permanente members in Northern California.

Systolic pressure — the upper number in a blood pressure reading — measures how hard the heart pumps blood into arteries. Diastolic pressure — the bottom number — indicates the pressure on the arteries when the heart rests between beats.

Decades of research have shown that high systolic blood pressure is more likely to result in adverse outcomes. As a result, cardiology guidelines and risk estimation tools focus on the upper number, with some experts arguing that the diastolic number might reasonably be ignored, Flint said.

After adjusting the data for possible confounding factors, the researchers found that while systolic pressure has a greater impact, both systolic and diastolic pressures strongly influenced the risk of heart attack or stroke, regardless of the definition used for high blood pressure (140/90 mm Hg versus 130/80 mm Hg).

Dr. Flint said the finding that systolic and diastolic hypertension have similar impacts on risk at the lower threshold of 130/80 provides independent support for recent changes that were made in the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines, which recommended tighter blood pressure control in higher risk patients with hypertension. The results are also in keeping with findings from the National Institutes of Health’s Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial, known as SPRINT.

“Controversy has long persisted about whether systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, or both contribute to cardiovascular risk,” said senior author Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, executive director of Interventional Cardiovascular Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “This analysis using a very large amount of longitudinal data convincingly demonstrates that both are important, and it shows that in people who are otherwise generally healthy, lower blood pressure numbers are better.”

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A stroke is a “brain attack.” It can happen to anyone at any time. It occurs when blood flow to an area of the brain is cut off. When this happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain, such as memory and muscle control, are lost. How a person is affected by their stroke depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

For example, someone who had a small stroke may only have minor problems, such as temporary weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be permanently paralyzed on one side of their body or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than two-thirds of survivors will have some type of disability.

Recovery:

Recovery time after a stroke is different for everyone. It can take weeks, months or even years. Stroke rehabilitation can include working with speech, physical and occupational therapists. Speech therapy helps people who have problems producing or understanding speech. Physical therapy uses exercises to help patients relearn movement and coordination skills they may have lost because of the stroke.

Occupational therapy focuses on improving daily activities, such as eating, drinking, dressing, bathing, reading and writing. Therapy and medicine may help with depression or other mental health conditions following a stroke.

New research:

Dr. S. Tom Carmichael, chair of neurology at Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, talked about a potential new drug to help with stroke recovery, “The mice made about 30 to 50% enhanced recovery called maraviroc. And the thing that is an advantage there is that we know in humans with movement or motor recovery that if you get a 10% improvement in motor function, that actually translates to a meaningful change in your interaction to the community.

“That’s what’s known as a minimal clinically important difference, or MCID. It’s about 10% in humans. And so the mouse recovery was far better than that, and it allows us some hope that it was a meaningful thing we hit in the mouse.”

Carmichael said maraviroc worked in mouse trials. Human trials are beginning now. The maraviroc trial will be run at UCLA, Yale and Burke Rehabilitation Institute. Since the drug is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for safety in HIV patients., the trial is already in phase two.

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