What does your blood type reveal about your stroke risk? Your blood type plays a role in more than just transfusions. Recent research suggests it may also influence your risk of developing certain health conditions, including stroke.
People with blood type A may face a slightly higher risk of early-onset ischemic stroke. A study published in 2022 in the journal Neurology analyzed genetic data from over 16,000 stroke patients and nearly 600,000 controls. The researchers found that individuals with type A blood were 16% more likely to experience a stroke before the age of 60 compared to those with other types. One reason may be that it can also increase the risk of clot formation in blood vessels, potentially leading to a stroke.
Though type AB is the rarest blood type, some research suggests it may carry one of the highest stroke risks. A 2014 study from the University of Vermont found that individuals with type AB blood had an 83% higher risk of stroke. Furthermore, a protein known as Factor VIII, which plays a role in blood clotting, was determined to account for 60% of the association between type AB blood and stroke risk. The combination of A and B antigens as well as higher clotting factor levels may influence inflammation, vascular function, and the likelihood of blood clots, leading to a heightened stroke risk.
If you have blood type O, the research is a bit more reassuring. Multiple studies have found that people with type O blood generally have a lower risk of developing blood clots and by extension, a lower risk of ischemic stroke. According to the 2022 study mentioned above, those with type O blood were 12% less likely to experience an early-onset stroke compared to those with other blood types.
People with type O blood typically have lower levels of von Willebrand factor and factor VIII, both of which play a role in clotting. While this can lead to slower clotting in injuries, it also seems to provide some protection against unwanted clots in the arteries.
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#strokeexercise #Neurorehabilitation #strokerehab #ARNIstrokerehab
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Have YOU got aphasia?
Approximately 40% of stroke survivors experience this difficulty: to comprehend or produce spoken or written language caused by a cerebrovascular accident. In half of these cases the language impairment still persists one year post-stroke. Aphasia has wide-ranging effects on the ability to function and quality of life of stroke survivors and easily leads to social isolation.
If you need help, ARNI SLT Telerehab can now help YOU, right now, wherever you are in the world!
The latest evidence shows clearly that you can conquer aphasia very successfully with the help of speech and language therapy.
And it also shows that SLT Telerehab is just as effective as in-person, face to face treatment.
We have a team of highly experienced low-cost specialist SLTs (all post-grads from Universities such as UCL, the University of Cape Town etc) who are available to help you right now, in your home, via Zoom. You get a one to one hourly service, based around your diary needs, from the comfort of your own home, with a highly experienced specialist speech and language therapist. Please enquire to arni.uk.com/get-remote-speech-language-help-now/ !
#aphasia #StrokeSurvivors #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #strokerehab #aphasiaawareness #Neurorehabilitation #arni #exerciseafterstroke #strokeexercise #strokerecoveryexercises #neuroplasticity #ARNIstrokerehab
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A new research initiative aims to lay the foundation for the country’s first genetic screening programme for brain aneurysms—potentially reshaping how the NHS identifies and manages a life-threatening but often overlooked condition that can devastate families for generations.
The ROAR-DNA Project, a UK-based multicentre research project bringing together researchers from University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) and the University of Southampton, is the first study of its kind and scale to investigate the genetic markers that may predispose people to develop brain aneurysms.
Brain aneurysms are balloon-like swellings in blood vessels of the brain, found in approximately 3 per cent of the UK population, that’s over 2 million people. While most aneurysms remain stable and harmless, around 1 in 100 will rupture, usually without warning, causing a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)—a type of stroke that can be fatal or severely disabling.
In the UK, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people experience a brain aneurysm rupture each year, with around half of these cases proving fatal.
Most aneurysms are sporadic, meaning they are one-off events, but there is evidence of a strong genetic component to the development of intracranial (brain) aneurysms. They often run in families with over 16 per cent of patients with an aneurysm having an affected parent or sibling.
Despite this significant data, no genetic screening programme currently exists, and little is known about the genes that impact aneurysm growth and rupture.
The UK four-year ROAR-DNA Project aims to close that gap by collecting and analysing genetic data from 6,000 patients with brain aneurysms, comparing this against data from patients without brain aneurysms, working in tandem with the existing ROAR Study, which is already tracking over 20,000 patients across the NHS—the largest study of its kind globally.
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#strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehab #arnistrokerehab #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #neuroplasticity #strokerecoveryexercises
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Cycling for Stroke survivors: One of the more beneficial methods of exercise and rehabilitation for stroke survivors is cycling. Using an at-home cycle trainer to stimulate the muscles in both arms and legs can help improve movement and walking ability in many ways, including:
Stimulates reciprocal movement – Walking requires a continuous and repetitive motion that can be difficult or impossible to achieve post stroke. A cycle trainer forces a coordinated and symmetric movement with both legs that can lead to improvements in their gait over time.
Can be used soon after a stroke – Until a survivor is able to engage in gait training to start walking again, a cycle trainer can be used to help rebuild the muscles and brain pathways that have been damaged.
Isn’t just for use in rehab – Even after daily and weekly therapy sessions are no longer required, a cycle trainer is a great tool for a healthy lifestyle. After a stroke it can be difficult for many survivors to maintain an active lifestyle so incorporating time on a cycle trainer can help build a healthy routine. This daily activity can even help to prevent repeated strokes.
Very safe tool in stroke recovery – With a seated or standing cycling trainer there is no balance required so the risk and fear of falling is significantly reduced and most survivors can use it almost entirely without assistance.
Easy to track progress – Cycling outcomes are easy to track and see as a survivor progresses from session to session.
Easy to alter the training regimen – Most cycle trainers have adjustable settings which will allow the user to customize their training session to their specific needs. Adjusting the levels of resistance in order to focus on muscle building (high resistance, low reps) or cardiorespiratory fitness (low resistance, high reps) means that each user will receive a personalized and targeted therapy session.
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#ARNIstrokerehab #arnistrokerehab #neurorehab #strokeexercise #neuroplasticity #strokearmrehab
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A story for you. a True story, It happened.
Once there was a young boy. His name was Tom. He barely came of age when he had a stroke.
This tragedy happened back in 1997.
Tom's left side was completely paralyzed. He had barely started being an adult, and his normal, happy life was already over. Everything fell apart at once.
At this point, most people give up and turn to themselves. She wonders why him. Why so young? Why did it have to be this way? How could you make it not happen?
But Tom didn't want to bury himself.
He didn't give up. He wanted to heal. He wanted to live life to the fullest. He wanted to rehabilitate himself and was looking for ways to get back on his feet.
And he wasn't just looking for it. He found the solution.
He began to develop a method: his rehabilitation was a novel combination of self-defence sports, muscle building with weights, and mental/self-management training.
Tom got to his feet.
After the stroke, he regained almost all of his functional movements, tripled his physical strength and has been continuously improving himself and his technique for the past 20 years.
Tom Balchin. ARNI Director and stroke survivo#strokerehabilitations#neuroplasticityi#ARNIstrokerehabi#ARNIstrokerehabh#neurorehabo#strokerecoverye#strokerehabe#strokesurvivorscan #strokeexercisescan #strokeexercise
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Did you manage to get back to driving after a stroke? Please let us know - and please tell us of your experiences so that other survivors can maybe benefit ;).
The deal is that after a stroke or TIA, car (and motorbike) drivers are not allowed drive for a minimum of one calendar month. Some people will be able to drive after the minimum period but others will have to stop for longer; some people will have to stop driving for good. It's your responsibility to ensure you are safe to drive.
If your doc, therapist or eye specialist thinks you are not safe to drive, you must stop driving and contact the DVLA (if you don't, you risk being fined up to £1,000). They might ask you to have a driving assessment. But even if nobody tells you to stop driving, it's your responsibility to find out if you are able to drive after a stroke. This depends on several things including the type of stroke you had, its he effects and other medical conditions you may (now) have, like epilepsy.
If think your driving might be affected by stroke, a Driving Mobility centre can give you individual advice. They can tell you if you need to inform the DVLA (or DVA in Northern Ireland), who may arrange a driving assessment and support with going back to driving.
You also have to tell your motor insurance company if you have had a stroke or TIA. If you don't, your insurance might be invalid. If you drive without insurance, you can be fined or lose your licence.
See the DVLA stroke guidance online or contact DVLA medical enquiries on 0300 790 6806 for advice about the process. Motorists in Northern Ireland can call the DVA on 0300 200 7861 for advi#strokeexercise.#Neurorehabilitation##strokerehabi#ARNIstrokerehabha#strokerecoveryh#strokerehabilitations#neurorehabl#neuroplasticityh#strokerecoveryexercisesokerecoveryexercises
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It’s well understood that a large percentage of stroke survivors finish the formal hospital therapy process and then need to be ‘trained’ intensively in other settings. However, too many people need training not in ‘advanced modes for fine-tuning motor movements’ but by going back to what might be thought of as the very basics of functional movement.
For example, a majority of stroke survivors report that they were never shown how to get down to the floor and up again autonomously without the use of a fixed support. This can leave people unable to make progress with balance and gait control as they fear the consequences of falling.
With this inability to take on risky behaviour, recovery can easily be much slower or even halted as the survivor can feel wary about discarding the use of a walking stick for the perceived safety it offers; retaining the use of a stick can build in weakness on the more-affected side as more weight is shifted over the less-affected side when walking (with a stick)...
To combat this, ARNI teaches Dr Tom's innovation to the world of stroke rehab - getting down and up from the floor autonomously, with one-sided weakness. It's well-evidence-based, very easily learnable and is called the ‘gate-keeper technique’.... if you don't know it, contact ARNI Stroke Rehab UK to learn it from books, anytime-streaming from dashboard vids or ask to be matched with your very own ARNI Associate Instructor. You'll be pleased you learned the strategy, drilled it, customised it and made it YOURS!
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#strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehab #arnistrokerehab #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #neuroplasticity #strokerecoveryexercises
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Is a programme of high-intensity interval training better than moderate-intensity exercise for optimal gait control after stroke?
The HIT-Stroke Trial 2 RCT is underway (in protocol stage) to determine the optimal training intensity for walking rehabilitation in chronic stroke.
Current practice guidelines recommend moderate to vigorous intensity locomotor training to improve walking outcomes in chronic stroke. But these intensities span a wide range, and the lack of specificity may lead to under-dosing or over-dosing of training intensity.
We are sure that you already know that the evidence indicates that vigorous intensity locomotor training improves walking outcomes significantly more than moderate intensity. But previous studies have not been powered to rule out the possibility of meaningful risk increases or negligible benefit with vigorous versus moderate intensity, nor have they been designed to compare sustained effects after training ends.
In this single-blind, 3-site, randomized trial, 156 chronic (>6 months) stroke survivors will be allocated to 36 sessions (3 times a week for 12 weeks) of either high intensity interval or moderate intensity continuous locomotor training. Outcomes are assessed at baseline, after 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks (POST), and 3 months after completing training.
The primary outcome is walking capacity (6-minute walk distance). Secondary outcomes include comfortable and fast gait speed, aerobic capacity, fatigue, balance confidence, quality of life, and motivation for exercise. Statistical analyses will compare outcome changes and adverse events between treatment groups, and will include subgrouping by walking limitation severity.
This study by Christine Garrity (Department of Rehabilitation, University of Cincinnati) and colleagues will hopefully provide important new information to guide greater specificity and individualization of locomotor training intensity in chronic stroke.
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#strokeexercise #neurorehabilitation #strokerehab #arnistrokerehab #strokerecovery #strokerehabilitation #neurorehab #neuroplasticity #strokerecoveryexercises
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Because music stimulates emotions, it invokes parts of the brain called the hippocampus and amygdala that relate to memory formation and recall. In addition, music enhances neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to create new connections.
Read more in this article:
www.business-standard.com/health/music-brain-health-memory-focus-dementia-stroke-recovery-benefit...
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#strokerecoveryexercises #strokeexercise #neuroplasticity #strokerehabilitation #strokerehab #neurorehabilitation #strokerecovery #neurorehab
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