Improved Acute Ischemic Stroke Outcomes With tPA
May 2nd 2009An analysis of 1274 patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) admitted to a single Colorado medical center over a 2-year period found that application of any acute stroke treatment strategy improved the patients’ NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score.
Orthostatic Hypotension Increases the Risk of Alzheimer Disease
May 2nd 2009Alzheimer disease (AD) is more than twice as likely to develop in elderly persons with orthostatic hypotension (OH) as in those without OH, according to a new study presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
Chronic Migraine Patients Also Burdened With Higher Medical Costs
May 1st 2009The total direct and indirect costs for treating patients with chronic migraines (CM) are 2.6 times higher than costs associated with episodic migraine (EM). Containing those costs through better management of the illness should be a priority, according to migraine researchers who led a nationwide study comparing the costs of CM and EM as part of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study.
Adding Corticosteroid to MS Regimen May Reduce Disease Activity
April 30th 2009The addition of methylprednisolone to interferon ß (IFN-ß) therapy may reduce disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to a greater degree than treatment with IFN-ß alone. “These results indicate that these 2 drugs may have a synergy when taken together and provide a more beneficial effect on the disease activity,” said study author Mads Ravnborg, MD, of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.
Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: Options for Treatment
April 30th 2009New treatment options for pain caused by diabetic peripheral neuropathy were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. While oral medications from 2 different drug classes appear effective, injection of botulinum toxin does not.
Are Primary Stroke Centers Living Up to Potential?
April 30th 2009Thirteen years have passed since intravenous tissue plasminogen activator was approved for treating patients with acute ischemic stroke, but some experts think hospitals-even those designated as primary stroke centers-have been slow to implement the strategy.
Large Mayo Clinic Study Finds Sleep Disorders Common in the Elderly
April 29th 2009Sleep disorders are common in persons older than 70 years, according to a large community-based study of age-related diseases and cognitive functioning. The most common disorder, sleep-related leg cramps, occurred in 32% of the study participants, according to investigator Jennifer Molano, MD, a behavioral neurology fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Study Finds Parkinson Disease in the United States More Common in White Men
April 28th 2009In the Unites States, Parkinson disease is more common in white men than in persons in other ethnic groups, and most patients with the disease live in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, according to the results of an epidemiological study.
Obesity Linked to Prevalence of Migraine in Adults
April 28th 2009Prevalence of migraine is higher in men and women who have total body obesity (TBO) or abdominal obesity (Abd-O), according to the results of a study by Lee B. Peterlin, DO, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, and colleagues at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.