Stroke

A stroke is a brain attack, cutting off vital blood flow and oxygen to the brain. It can happen to anyone at any time in life, regardless of age, race, or sex. Stroke claims over 700,000 victims per year in the United States. A full recovery is possible, however more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability. It is estimated the direct and indirect cost for treating strokes is $73 billion annually.

Even though there have been over 300 trials conducted in the last 30 years, only a single agent, tPA (a protein involved in the breakdown of blood clots), has shown to be effective at reducing the disability associated with a stroke. Unfortunately, only 2 to 4 percent of patients are offered tPA because most stroke patients arrive at the Emergency Room or Doctor’s office after the 3 to 4.5 hour window required by this treatment. In addition, many patients are not eligible to receive this treatment because of the high risks of intracranial bleeding and death (7% and 3%) associated with this treatment.

Despite the multiple unsuccessful trials, there are still many treatment options which need to be pursued to expand the treatment window for stroke victims. This is why we need you. We are hopeful that by providing resources to local physicians, we can speed up the process and find the cure.

For more information on strokes, please visit our Resources page.