Virulent Form of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Bacteria May Protect Against Stroke and Cancer

Researchers suggest that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)may protect stroke and some types of cancer.

A stroke is a disease where blockages (called clots) in the artery obstruct the flow of blood to the brain. Without the blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to it, brain cells start to die and may cause permanent damage.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The most popular type of stroke are Ischemic strokes. 87% of all strokes are of this type.

The American Heart Association defines it as an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. This is due to the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis.

Depending on what part of the brain is affected, cognitive and physical activities deteriorate. If the stroke affects the right side of the brain the following may occur:

• Paralysis on the left side of the body
• Vision problems
• Quick, inquisitive behavioral style
• Memory loss

If the left brain is affected, the person may experience the following:

• Paralysis on the right side of the body
• Speech/language problems
• Slow, cautious behavioral style
• Memory loss

There are some cases where the stroke targets the brain stem. This would result in having both sides of the brain are affected. Patients who experience this would experience total paralysis from the neck down and would be unable to speak.

Treatment for stroke victims should be immediate. The patient must be in the hospital where anti-clot medication is administered within 3 hours of experiencing symptoms.

Long term treatment requires physical, cognitive, and psychological therapy as well as medication to avoid future strokes.

Using Fluvastatin As Treatment For Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS)

Research show that fluvastatin, a cholesterol lowering statin, can be used as treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). APS is a disorder that can cause pregnancy loss, stroke, myocardial infarction, and arterial/deep vein thrombosis.

Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disorder that causes or provokes blood clots and miscarriages. APS increases the risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in the veins) and arterial thrombosis (blood clot in an artery). A thrombus or a blood clot in a blood vessel can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Anti Blood Clot Medication Prasugrel Is as Safe as Clopidogrel With Long-term Treatment Of ACS

Arteriogram of a Healthy Heart
Credit: SPL / Photo Researchers, Inc.

When the heart is not getting enough blood, Acute Coronary Syndrome occurs. It is a heart condition that includes the slowing down of blood flow to the heart because of a blood clot (unstable angina). This can cause a heart attack.

A blood clot is an obstruction in the blood vessel that supplies blood to the heart and brain. These blood clots aside from causing a heart attack, can also cause a stroke.

A stroke is a brain condition where it doesn’t get enough oxygen because of a blood clot in the blood vessel. Because the brain does not get the oxygen it needs, brain function is impaired and permanent brain damage can occur. This is called an ischemic stroke.

Potential long-term benefit observed for first time in Acute Coronary Syndrome(ACS) patients

The first trial to study patients with acute coronary syndrome who do not undergo coronary stenting or bypass surgery found no significant difference between two anti-clotting drugs – prasugrel and clopidogrel – in preventing the first occurrence of death, heart attack or stroke, according to Duke University Medical Center cardiologists.

The study also showed no difference in serious bleeding complications.

At the same time, the Duke researchers observed an unexpected reduction in heart attack, stroke and death among patients treated with prasurgrel beyond one year of treatment. The researchers say this potential time-dependent benefit requires further exploration.

The results were presented by the Duke researchers at the European Society of Cardiology Scientific Sessions in Munich, Germany today, and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

"If you look at this study as a comparison of two drugs, it doesn't tell the whole story," says E. Magnus Ohman, M.D., a professor of medicine at Duke and chairman of the TRILOGY ACS study. "This is a unique patient population that has never before been studied."

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) refer to a group of conditions that include heart attacks and chest pain caused by clogged coronary arteries. To date, most trials evaluating anti-clotting drugs for ACS patients have focused on patients who undergo revascularization procedures such as stent implantation with percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass surgery to restore blood flow.

Up to 60 percent of ACS patients worldwide undergo revascularization procedures according to published data. The remaining 40 percent are managed solely with drug therapy. These patients are at higher risk for repeated cardiovascular-related events, such as heart attack, stroke, and death.

"Optimizing medical therapy for these patients is extremely important," Ohman says.

Prasugrel and clopidogrel are members of the thienopyridine class of adenosine diphosphate receptor inhibitors that prevent the formation of blood clots in arteries by binding to specific receptors and inhibiting the clumping of platelets.