Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Preventing stroke and heart attack

Recent news shows that in a study, stroke patients benefit from cardiac rehabilitation:
"Overall, the risk status of patients improved, and we think that that would be associated with a decreased risk of future vascular risk, both stroke and cardiac."

The study was published online September 22 in Stroke. ...

Most of the study participants were sedentary, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, or had a smoking history. The intervention included education on these risk factors, as well as on diet and medications, advice regarding psychological issues, and a stress test. Patients had the option of either an on-site exercise program consisting of 50 twice-weekly exercise sessions with supplementary home-based training at least twice weekly, or a home-based option with exercise at least 4 days weekly and monthly contact either by telephone or on-site.

Of the 100 patients who attended the comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation intake clinic, 80 completed the program.

The outcome? Significant metabolic improvements and for three out of 10, better aerobic capacity. So, in efforts of preventing stroke, think heart.

1 comment:

Linda said...

It seems so obvious doesn't it? 3 years ago I started with blood clots in my lungs, moved on to having a stroke 2 weeks later.
I tried, with my PT's suggestion, to get into a great free cardiac program at our local refit center.

I was turned down. Through all this I didn't even have an abnormal heart tracing so I did not meet their funding guidelines. They all believed that it was a good idea in principal.