December 13, 1995
Web posted at: 6:16 a.m. EST
From Correspondent Jeff Levine
BETHESDA, Maryland (CNN) -- U.S. public health officials are heralding what they call the first-ever treatment for strokes. Researchers say a new clot-busting drug can spare patients many of the condition's crippling side effects.
About 500,000 Americans have strokes each year. Most are caused by clots that block blood flow to the brain, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Until now, rehabilitation has been the only treatment for the severely disabling condition. But researchers working with the NIH believed the new drug t-PA will ease and hasten recovery for many.
When John Ramey had a stroke last October, he became paralyzed and was unable to speak. But when given t-PA as part of a study, his saw his symptoms all but vanish. "I wouldn't be able to speak, not talk like I'm talking now," he says. (40K AIFF sound or 40K WAV sound)
"Today, we have found the first cure for stroke -- the leading cause of disability in our time," says Dr. Patrick Lyden of the University of California at San Diego. (68K AIFF sound or 68K WAV sound)
In a clinical trial, scientists compared the results between stroke patients treated with t-PA and those who were given a placebo. They found that among those treated with t-PA, half had up to a 50 percent greater chance of full recovery.
"To me, it seems like a slam dunk," says Lyden. "We're taking 44,000 people who would otherwise require prolonged care, hospitalization, extended rehabilitation, and returning them to essentially normal function." (143K AIFF sound or 143K WAV sound)
But the good news doesn't apply to all. Before getting t-PA, patients must be checked to ensure they are not bleeding in the brain. The drug does not work for patients who suffer that kind of stroke.
Since bleeding in the brain could also be a possible side-effect of the drug, doctors must select patients carefully. They say the ultimate goal is to treat strokes the same way as heart attacks.
"If given within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, t-PA consistently and persuasively increases the number of patients showing complete recovery from stroke," says Dr. James Grotta of the University of Texas in Houston.
Within 90 minutes of her stroke, Lee Phillips was given t-PA. "All I wanted to do was for it to go away," she says, "so I could talk again, and I got angry when I couldn't pronounce words." (68K AIFF sound or 68K WAV sound)
She recovered -- overnight.
For now, t-PA is more than just a medical advance. The NIH hopes that drugs like t-PA coupled with adequate public education could bring the agency closer to transforming strokes from chronic disabilities to treatable emergencies.
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