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Friday, April 11, 2003Researchers from the University of Texas Houston Medical School gave caffeinol to 23 male and female stoke patients with an average age of 71. They found they were able to give the patients lower doses of the drug than animal studies had suggested, while still achieving the same blood levels of caffeinol which had been shown to offer protection in rats. In those tests, an artery supplying blood to the brain was blocked, mimicking what happens in an ischaemic stroke. It was found the amount of brain damage was reduced by up to 80% if caffeinol was given within three hours. Further research will now be carried out to test the drug's effectiveness in humans. Caffeine is an active ingredient in many migraine therapies. It's supposed to improve blood flow to the brain. And alcohol? It does relax the types of muscles that make up artery walls, so it could theoretically increase blood flow to the brain, too. It isn't ready for real-world use, though. This study only looked at the safety of the drug, not its effectiveness, and it was only in a very small group of people. But, if it pans out, it would be the first drug to help reduce stroke damage once it occurs. Stay tuned. posted by Sydney on 4/11/2003 07:58:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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