Approximately 15,000 people have a stroke in Scotland each year.
19:17, 18 Mar 2025
A new possible treatment for stroke is ready for human testing, a study has found(Image: Getty Images)
Scientists have discovered a potential new stroke treatment in a preclinical study by the University of Iowa. In Scotland, approximately 15,000 people have a stroke each year, and it's the third most common cause of death and the most common cause of severe physical disability in adults.
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either by a blockage (ischemic stroke) or a burst blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke), which can lead to brain damage.
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This study, published in health journal Stroke, suggests that a new possible treatment for stroke is ready for human clinical testing.
The study was conducted on rodents, and it was found that those treated with uric acid showed improved long-term outcomes after having an acute ischemic stroke. These findings suggest that uric acid may work as an add-on therapy to standard stroke treatments in humans, the researchers said.
Led by Enrique Leira, MD, and Anil Chauhan, PhD, at the University of Iowa, researchers used a well-established rodent model of stroke that closely simulates stroke in humans.
They administered intravenous uric acid to the rodents, monitoring their recovery over one month. Behavioural and neurological assessments, including MRI scans, were used to evaluate how effective uric acid was as a stroke treatment.
The study found that mice who were treated with uric acid had better brain function 30 days after stroke, but that brain damage had not been reduced by the treatment.
The researchers used equal numbers of male and female animals and studied older, young, and obese mice, as well as rats with hypertension.
Uric acid was proven an effective treatment across all groups, suggesting that it could potentially perform well in human trials.
Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Scotland(Image: Getty Images)
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot or other blockage in an artery cuts off blood supply to the brain. Strokes are treated with medications or surgery that break up clots and restore blood flow to affected brain areas.
Although current treatments and therapies can be effective, not everyone will fully recover from a stroke, and it is thought that additional treatments that protect brain tissue from damage, either immediately before or during clot removal, could boost the effects of standard treatments and improve stroke recovery.
It is vital to seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms of a stroke. The NHS lists these symptoms as:
face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile
arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm
speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused
The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.
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The NHS website lists additional stroke symptoms as:
weakness or numbness down one side of your body
blurred vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes
finding it difficult to speak or think of words
confusion and memory loss
feeling dizzy or falling over
a severe headache
feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
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