Stroke
What is stroke?
A stroke happens when the blood supply to your brain is cut off, meaning that the brain does not get a constant supply of oxygen and its cells become damaged and die. This can happen because of a clot in one of the arteries that leads to the brain, known as an ischaemic stroke, or due to an artery wall bursting and blood seeping out, known as a haemorrhagic stroke. The latter causes brain damage in two ways: by cutting off the blood supply to some parts of the brain and by the bleeding pressing against other parts and damaging cells. Ischaemic strokes are the most common, accounting for around 85 per cent.
According to the UK Stroke Association, around 130,000 people suffer a stroke every year, or one every five minutes. The condition is the biggest cause of disability in the UK and the third most common cause of death after cancer and heart disease. How well a person recovers often depends on how quickly they receive treatment, but 50 per cent of stroke sufferers regain their independence after six months of recovery. Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol due to a diet high in animal fats, lack of exercise, obesity, diabetes, smoking and drinking excessively.
A snapshot of MRC research into stroke
The MRC currently funds around 10 studies and clinical trials into stroke. These range from investigating the detailed molecular processes that occur in stroke, through large clinical trials testing new treatments to studying stroke recovery and care for patients. For instance:
- Professor Philip Bath at the University of Nottingham is carrying out a clinical trial in 5,000 patients, testing a novel treatment for lowering blood pressure to see whether this improves stroke outcome.
- Dr David Mendelow of the University of Newcastle is studying whether surgery to remove clots following brain haemorrhages improves survival and recovery after haemorrhagic strokes.
- At the University of Leeds, Dr Anne Forster is carrying out a randomised controlled trial to find out whether people who care for stroke patients benefit from a structured training programme.
- Professor Nancy Rothwell at the University of Manchester is carrying out ‘proof of principle’ studies to test the effectiveness and the best dose of a compound that has been shown promise in early studies for treating stroke.
- And because patients with stroke often have major cognitive and motor deficits, Professor Masud Husain at the Institute of Neurology in London is testing a novel drug to reduce hemispatial neglect – a common symptom after stroke where patients lose awareness of objects to their left – and improve control of limb movements.