Drug breakthrough may cut dangers of a stroke

A readily available chemical could reduce the risk of cerebral haemorrhage in stroke patients treated with a life-saving drug that breaks down blood clots, a team of Shanghai scientists has discovered.

The discovery, published online in the peer-reviewed Annals of Neurology last week, means more people hit by ischemic strokes, which are caused by blood clots and account for the bulk of all strokes, can be given the live-saving drug without risking dangerous side effects.

Strokes are a leading cause of death among mainlanders, and more than 70 million people living in the country have suffered a stroke, China National Radio reported last year, using figures from a national health education forum. About 1.7 million mainlanders a year die from strokes.

The Deputy Health Minister, Ma Xiaowei , said at a stroke conference in Beijing last year that the disease poses a severe challenge.

Dr Zhao Bingqiao , from the Institutes of Brain Science at Fudan University, led the research team in the study. He said a protein called tissue plasminogen activator, which helped break down blood clots and was commonly known as tPA, was one of few drugs effectively proven to treat ischemic stroke patients.

The protein aids in the dissolution of blood clots, but it is given to only a small proportion of people because there is a high probability it can cause brain haemorrhage, and it is effective only when injected in patients within three to six hours of them suffering the stroke.