Preventive Measures Are Beneficial for People at Risk of Stroke

Study shows taking steps to reduce risk factors like smoking, high cholesterol and diabetes increases survival

A new study reports that helping patients stay away from stroke and dementia risk factors like elevated cholesterol, smoking and diabetes, may just enable them to enjoy a longer, healthier old age.

The German research team who conducted the study also found that by adhering to recommended treatment guidelines and goals, the number of patients with increased risk of stroke and dementia requiring costly long-term care is reduced.

In a news release issued by the American Heart Association, study’s lead author, Horst Bickel, a senior researcher in the department of psychiatry at the Technical University of Munich, said that it does pay to take basic preventive measures. “We found that not only the risk of long-term care dependence was lower, but also that death rates decreased,” Bickel said.

For the new study, the researchers followed nearly 4,000 people 55 years old and above who were residing in a rural area of Germany. The participants’ family physicians were provided with brochures outlining treatment guidelines for stroke and dementia.

Bickel and colleagues then made a comparative analysis of the outcomes among the study participants with another 13,000 people living in a nearby town who were given treatment that did not concentrate on the prevention of these health conditions.

Over a period of five years, patients who received care from doctors whose concentration was on risk factor reduction saw a 10 percent drop in their requirement for long-term treatment, compared to the communities that were not given this intervention. In addition, the study found a reduction in the expenses of inpatient care for these patients.

The researchers think that concentrating on the reduction of risk factors of stroke and dementia brought down the number of deaths in the intervention group from the estimated 2,112 people to only 1,939.

In order to preclude stroke and dementia, patients are encouraged by doctors to do the following:

• Exercise more
• Consume a healthier diet
• Quit smoking
• Lower high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels

“At the population level, even simple measures can lead to substantial achievements,” said Bickel. He added that their findings are just “one example of how health risks can be reduced through uncomplicated, routine treatment of risk factors in the framework of a real-world setting.”

The findings of their study could be applicable to the United States as well as other Western populations that lead inactive lifestyles, the authors noted.