New stroke prevention guidelines

For any patient, anywhere, a stroke prevented is better by far than a stroke treated. If you've got a brain, read the new guidelines on primary stroke prevention:

In 1999, AHA [American Heart Association] set a goal for 2010 of decreasing mortality from heart disease and stroke by 25%, Dr. Goldstein [Larry B. Goldstein, professor of medicine (neurology) and director of the Duke Stroke Center at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., who chaired the writing group for the new document] told Medscape Medical News. That goal was achieved early, in 2008, probably due to better prevention strategies, he said.

Of more than 790,000 strokes that occur each year, 75% of those are first events, "so prevention is particularly important." Because risk factors for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes largely overlap, he said, "in this guideline we address primary prevention of stroke, not just ischemic stroke, so that's one significant change."

The article details the prevention guidelines - something worth reading. Because the brain you save might be your own.