According to new data published in The New England
Journal of Medicine, patients who had suffered a stroke within the
previous six months significantly reduced their risk of having another
stroke by 16 percent while on intensive Lipitor therapy. The study
also showed that their risk of suffering a major coronary event
reduced by 35 percent.
(See video at: http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=32287)
Among those who suffer a stroke in any given year, 24 percent of women and 42 percent of men will have another stroke within five years. In the U.S., one out of every four stroke survivors will suffer a second stroke within five years; one in three will suffer another stroke within two years.
This is the first large-scale trial designed to evaluate the benefit of statins (cholesterol-lowering medication) only in patients with prior stroke and without coronary heart disease.
Stroke Facts:
-- A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain either is blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs to function properly.
-- Every year, approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. and 15 million people worldwide experience a stroke.
-- Currently, there are 5.1 million Americans who have suffered a stroke.
-- Stroke affects an estimated four out of five families in the U.S.
-- The lifetime cost of treating one patient with a stroke can amount to more than $3 million.
-- Major risk factors for stroke include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, increasing age, and gender.
Registered journalists can access video, audio, text, graphics and photos for free and unrestricted use at http://media.medialink.com.
(See video at: http://media.medialink.com/WebNR.aspx?story=32287)
Among those who suffer a stroke in any given year, 24 percent of women and 42 percent of men will have another stroke within five years. In the U.S., one out of every four stroke survivors will suffer a second stroke within five years; one in three will suffer another stroke within two years.
This is the first large-scale trial designed to evaluate the benefit of statins (cholesterol-lowering medication) only in patients with prior stroke and without coronary heart disease.
Stroke Facts:
-- A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain either is blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs to function properly.
-- Every year, approximately 700,000 people in the U.S. and 15 million people worldwide experience a stroke.
-- Currently, there are 5.1 million Americans who have suffered a stroke.
-- Stroke affects an estimated four out of five families in the U.S.
-- The lifetime cost of treating one patient with a stroke can amount to more than $3 million.
-- Major risk factors for stroke include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, increasing age, and gender.
Registered journalists can access video, audio, text, graphics and photos for free and unrestricted use at http://media.medialink.com.