Monitor pulse after stroke to avoid second

Regularly monitoring your pulse after a stroke or the pulse of a loved one who has experienced a stroke can prevent a second stroke. Screening the pulse is the method of choice for checking irregular heartbeat of people over 65 years who have never had a stroke. (Read: Would you recognise the symptoms of stroke if you saw someone having one?)

'Our study shows it may be a safe, effective, non-invasive and an easy way to identify people who might need more thorough monitoring to prevent a second stroke,' informed Bernd Kallmunzer from Erlangen University in Erlangen, Germany. For the study, 256 people who had experienced a type of stroke called an acute ischemic stroke and the patients' relatives were given instructions on measuring the pulse to detect irregular heartbeat. (Read: What is a stroke and am I at risk of suffering from it? (Disease query of the day))

The measurements were then compared to a recording of electrical activity in the heart which showed that 57 of the participants had irregular heartbeat. The study found that pulse measurement taken by doctors had a sensitivity of nearly 97 percent and a specificity of 94 percent in detecting irregular heartbeat. Sensitivity is the percentage of actual positives that are correctly identified as positive, and specificity is the percentage of negatives that are correctly identified as negative. For patients' relatives, the sensitivity was 77 percent and the specificity was 93 percent. (Read: Keep strokes away by switching to olive oil)

For patients taking their own measurements, 89 percent performed reliable measurements with a sensitivity of 54 percent and specificity of 96 percent. False positive results occurred in six people and false negative results in 17 people. 'The low rate of false positives in this study shows that health care professionals, care givers and patients can be guided to use this simple tool as a first step in helping to prevent a second stroke,' Kallmunzer explained. (Read: Eight ways to keep stroke at bay)

The study was published in the online issue of Neurology.

Here are few tips that will lower your stroke risk:

High blood pressure or hypertension is a big risk factor in both men and women, that if uncontrolled doubles your chance of getting stroke. Lowering your blood pressure levels and maintaining them makes a big difference to those suffering from hypertension.

Regular exercising is found to make your circulatory system and heart more efficient. It also lowers the blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels in the body thereby preventing stroke. Moderate aerobic activity such as cycling or brisk walking for at least 150 minutes every week is recommended to lower your risk of stroke.

Quit smoking/drink in moderation

Smoking thickens your blood and accelerates the amount of plague build-up in the arteries thereby increasing your chances of clot formation. Up to a certain limit, drinking alcohol may make you less likely to have a stroke (though research on this is very contentious). But, if it crosses that limit, your risk of stroke goes up significantly. Hence quit smoking and drink in moderation to reduce your stroke risk. Read more about 6 lifestyle tips to prevent stroke

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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