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Title: Gastrointestinal Bleeding After Stroke May Increase Risk of Death
URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/227432.htm
Doctor's Guide
August 6, 2008

ST. PAUL, Minn -- August 6, 2008 -- People who have gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding after a stroke are more likely to die or become severely disabled than stroke sufferers with no GI bleeding, according to a study published in the August 6 online issue of Neurology.

"This is an important finding since there are effective medications to reduce gastric acid that can lead to upper gastrointestinal bleeding," said study author Martin O'Donnell, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. "More research will be needed to determine whether this is a viable strategy to improve outcomes after stroke in high-risk patients."

The study involved 6,853 patients who had ischaemic strokes, of which 829 died during their hospital stay and 1,374 died within 6 months after the stroke.

A total of 100 patients (1.5%) had gastrointestinal bleeding while they were in the hospital from the stroke. In more than half of the cases, the GI bleeding occurred in patients who had mild to moderate strokes.

Those with GI bleeding were more than 3 times more likely to die during their hospital stay or be severely dependent on others for their care at the time they left the hospital than people who did not have GI bleeding.

A total of 81% of patients with GI bleeding died in the hospital or were severely dependent, compared to 41% of those without GI bleeding.

In addition, 46% of patients with GI bleeding had died within 6 months, compared with 20% of those without GI bleeding. This relationship remained even after researchers adjusted for other factors such as pneumonia and heart attack.

SOURCE: American Academy of Neurology

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