CardioExchange Archive

CardioExchange, an NEJM practice community for medical professionals dedicated to improving cardiac patient care, was active from 2009 to 2015. CardioExchange fostered discussion between clinicians from across the globe.

December 2nd, 2010

AHA Releases Updated Stroke Prevention Guidelines

Here’s the good news, according to Larry Goldstein, the chairman of the statement writing committee for the revised American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Stroke:

“Between 1999 and 2006, there’s been over a 30 percent reduction in stroke death rates in the United States and we think the majority of the reduction is coming from better prevention,”

Here’s the bad news: Stroke remains the third leading cause of death in the U.S. And nearly 800,000 strokes occur each year, of which 77% are first events.

Here are a few key highlights from the new guidelines on how to prevent those first strokes:

  • The risk of a first stroke can be reduced by as much as 80% with healthy lifestyle choices, including not smoking, eating a healthy diet, maintaining normal body weight, drinking in moderation, and exercising regularly.
  • Genetic screening and carotid-artery screening are not recommended for the general population, but may be appropriate in some people.
  • The use of carotid stenting or carotid endarterectomy in patients without symptoms  is “unclear.” The relative benefits of the two procedures are also “still uncertain.”
  • Aspirin will not prevent a stroke in low-risk individuals, including those with diabetes or asymptomatic peripheral artery disease.

Categories: Prevention
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