New Scoring Method May Help Predict Stroke Outcome

Study reveals quick way to identify those who will respond well to clot-buster alteplase

Health US News: MONDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) — A new scoring system can help quickly identify stroke patients who will respond well to the clot-busting drug alteplase (Activase), Finnish researchers say.

Their study, published in the Feb. 7 issue of the journal Neurology, included 1,319 ischemic stroke patients, average age 69, who were treated with alteplase, a tissue-plasminogen activator drug. An ischemic stroke is caused by blocked blood flow to the brain.

The patients were assessed and given a so-called “DRAGON” score of zero to 10 based on their age, glucose level, time since the start of stroke symptoms, stroke severity and other factors. The higher the patients’ DRAGON scores, the more likely they were to have a bad outcome three months after their stroke.

Bad outcomes included being bedridden, incontinent, requiring constant nursing care and attention, or death, the study authors explained in a news release from the American Academy of Neurology. Read Full Article