UF Health researchers now have a better understanding of hemorrhagic stroke complications that could lead to new treatment options.
A study published Jan. 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that a patients haptoglobin phenotype, a protein in the blood, could potentially serve as a predictor of potential complications for hemorrhagic stroke patients, said Sylvain Dor, the studys lead author and a UF College of Medicine professor.
The findings could be used to develop a better treatment, he said.
This was a retrospective study, he said. Now its a prospective study, looking into the future.
The study used blood samples and brain imaging to examine the complications that arise after a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is mostly caused by a rupture of an aneurysm, the ballooning of an artery, Dor said.
The results indicate that patients with a certain phenotype were at a higher risk of encountering cerebral vasospasm, or constriction of the arteries, which is one of the most common complications that can arise after a hemmhorage.
Knowing that these patients are at risk, we would potentially monitor them much closer, Dor said.
The research team, which worked on the study for about two and a half years, intends to replicate the study to test its findings on other patient populations, said Jenna Leclerc, a UF anesthesiology and neuroscience doctoral student.
This (study) focuses on vasospasm, she said. It would just as easily translate to other patients.
Leclerc, who co-authored the study, said the findings should provide insight on the comprehension and treatment of other neurological disorders.
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UF study finds DNA predictor for post-stroke complications