By MONIQUE DEVEREUX
Brain damage caused by strokes - the third-biggest killer in this country - could be dramatically reduced if a new drug trial proves successful.
Auckland Hospital will be one of 12 Australasian hospitals in the trial starting in June, subject to Ministry of Health ethics committee approval.
Dr Alan Barber,
Auckland Hospital's stroke services coordinator, is running it in conjunction with hospitals in Australia and Singapore. They already have ethics approval.
The drug - tissue plazminogen activator (TPA) - breaks down the blot clots that cause strokes and limits further damage to the brain.
It is already used but is successful only if administered within three hours of the stroke.
Because only one in three people realise they have had a stroke and seek treatment within that time, most stroke victims cannot be given the drug. "So the frustration is we have an effective drug, but one that is not particularly useful."
Dr Barber says the trial aims to extend the treatment period from three hours to six - a move, he says, that could mean up to 50 per cent of stroke victims would be treated.
Patients will be screened by a new MRI technique to ensure they are able to benefit from the drug. If the stroke has damaged too much of the brain, or a part that controls a crucial function, like breathing, there is no point in giving the drug.
As well as being the third-biggest killer, behind heart disease and cancer, stroke is one of the most common causes of adult disability. More than half who survive a stroke will still be physically dependent after one year.
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