Research suggests Asian Americans are at increased risk of strokes and serious outcomes

Asian Americans, according to a recent research, are at increased risk of strokes that occurs due to blockage or narrowing of the blood vessels towards the brain. The preliminary study was presented at American Stroke Association’s ‘International Stroke Conference 2018’. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), more Asian Americans suffer from severe ischemic stroke as compared to whites.

Dr. Sarah Song, the study author, emphasizes the need for better treatment options, preventive measures and more focused research for Asian Americans. The AHA researchers analyzed the outcomes of around 1.8 million patients with ischemic stroke. Around 96 percent of them were whites and 4 percent were Asian Americans.

In their analysis, the AHA researchers found that Asian Americans had much poor functional recovery, as compared to whites even after being administered with the clot dissolving drug tissue plasminogen activator or tPA less frequently. The Asian Americans also experienced more severe complications with tPA, despite quickly receiving it.

According to the AHA, tPA is the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for ischemic strokes, which account for around 87% of all strokes. Song noticed that post-stroke care for whites and Asian Americans have improved over the years. From year 2004-2016, the acute ischemic stroke patients are recovering faster, getting frequent IV tPA with lesser complications and better after-stroke care.

Controlling blood pressure is one modifiable risk factor for preventing strokes. Therefore, keeping blood pressure under control is very important to prevent acute ischemic strokes. Very limited attention is given to strokes among Asian Americans due to their limited access to education, care, and research. However, the AHA researchers are all set to research more into the same.