Stroke survivor Ken Allsford focused intensely on how he wanted to bend his elbow.

And then the robot exoskeleton attached to his left arm obeyed his unspoken command, moving his crippled limb.

"It was a combination of exciting and trepidation, because sometimes nothing would happen," Allsford, 61, of Katy, Texas, recalled. "But when you actually see it move without actually making ...

Exercise programs that are standard for heart attack survivors can also benefit people who've suffered a stroke, a new pilot study suggests.

Researchers found that a three-month cardiac rehabilitation program improved fitness levels and muscle strength in 24 stroke survivors.

While the study was small, the researchers said it offers evidence of what's intuitive: People recovering fr...

There's yet another reason to quit smoking: It increases the risk of deadly bleeding strokes, a new study warns.

Researchers focused on a type of stroke called subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), which occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull.

This type of stroke mainly affects middle-aged adults and has hig...

People with metabolic syndrome and the skin condition psoriasis are at especially high risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study warns.

Psoriasis has been known to increase the risk of heart disease, but researchers have now pegged metabolic syndrome as a key reason.

Metabolic syndrome is a condition that includes obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure -- al...

Despite training that teaches police officers to use neck restraints, there is no medical justification for the tactic, three neurologists write in JAMA Neurology.

The killing of George Floyd, who died in May 2020 after an arresting police officer pressed a knee to his neck for more than eight minutes, helped spark a nationwide conversation about racial injustice.

While Fl...

A shortage of neurologists in rural parts of the United States means that people in those areas are less likely to receive specialized care for conditions such as stroke, dementia and back pain, a new study claims.

"Neurologists in the United States are not evenly spread out, which affects whether patients can see a neurologist for certain conditions like dementia and stroke," said study ...

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with brain complications such as stroke and confusion have an increased risk of death, a new study shows.

The findings could improve care and save lives during the pandemic, the researchers said.

"This study is the first to show that the presence of neurological symptoms, particularly stroke and confused or altered thinking, may indicate a more serious...

Weight-loss surgery significantly reduces the risk of heart problems in obese teens with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.

Teens who have the surgery can see their long-term risk for heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke and coronary death lowered nearly threefold, compared with obese teens whose diabetes is medically managed, researchers say.

"The mitigation in risk does...

Although heart problems are rare complications of pregnancy, Black women face a heightened risk -- even if they have comfortable incomes and health insurance, a new study finds.

It's well established that the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than other wealthy nations, and Black women are at greater risk than white women.

Less has been known about whether Black wom...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide -- accounting for one-third of deaths in 2019 -- and the death toll continues to rise, a new paper says.

China had the highest number of heart disease deaths last year, followed by India, Russia, the United States and Indonesia. Heart disease death rates were lowest in France, Peru and Japan, where rates were six times lower than in 19...

Levels of some small molecules called metabolites in the body may affect your risk of stroke, a new analysis suggests.

Metabolites come from the food people eat, and they cause chemical processes within the bodies and microbes. An analysis of previously published studies found that the levels of 10 of these are linked to the risk of stroke.

These include lipids, fatty acids, amino ...

COVID-19 patients with high blood pressure or diabetes may be more likely to develop critical neurological complications, including bleeding in the brain and stroke, according to an ongoing study.

University of Pennsylvania researchers studied COVID-19 patients who had a head CT scan or MRI within their health system between January and April 2020. In all, 81 of the 1,357 COVID-19 patien...

Black Americans face a heightened risk of stroke, and a new study suggests that abnormalities in the heart's upper chambers play a role.

Experts said the findings, published Nov. 25 in the journal Neurology, point to an under-recognized factor in Black Americans' stroke risk.

It has long been known that in the United States, Black adults are particularly hard-hit by ischemi...

The Black Lives Matter movement put racism in the United States under the glare of the public spotlight in 2020. And at its recently concluded annual meeting, the American Heart Association pledged to fight racial disparities in heart health and boost the life expectancy of all Americans.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that systemic racism plays a large role in the kind of health an Amer...

A procedure that freezes bits of heart tissue may be a better option than medication for people with atrial fibrillation (a-fib, or AF), two clinical trials have found.

A-fib is a common heart arrhythmia in which the organ's upper chambers (the atria) beat erratically. Though it is not immediately life-threatening, over time it can lead to complications like heart failure, or blood clots ...

Does high-strength fish oil help the heart or doesn't it?

Prior research into a prescription medicine derived from fish called Vascepa, announced earlier this year, suggested it might be of real value for heart patients.

But the results from a trial of another such drug called Epanova, released Sunday, are disappointing: Researchers found no benefit from taking the medicine for a w...

Election Day 2020 saw marijuana legalization continue its march across the United States, but a pair of new studies warn that smoking pot could increase risk for heart patients.

Marijuana smokers are more likely to suffer complications like excess bleeding or stroke if they undergo angioplasty to reopen clogged arteries, a University of Michigan-led study found.

Pot smokers who've h...

Asian COVID-19 patients in the United Kingdom have a higher stroke risk than other racial/ethnic groups, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data on 1,470 stroke patients admitted to 13 hospitals in England and Scotland between March and July 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Among patients who had an ischemic stroke (one caused by blocked blood flow to th...

The more symptoms of depression people have, the higher their risk of stroke, researchers say.

"There are a number of well-known risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease; but we are beginning to understand that there are nontraditional risk factors as well, and having depressive symptoms looms high on that list," said study co-author Virginia Howard...

Strokes can happen any time, anywhere and at any age, which is why it's important to know how to reduce your risk, says the American Stroke Association.

First, check your blood pressure regularly.

"Checking your blood pressure regularly and getting it to a healthy range is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk of stroke," Dr. Mitchell Elkind, president of t...

Replacing sugary drinks with diet versions may not be any healthier for the heart, a large, new study suggests.

French researchers found that people who regularly drank artificially sweetened beverages had a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, versus people who avoided those beverages. In fact, they were no less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who regularly d...

Could telehealth help paralyzed stroke victims recover their motor skills faster than they would working directly with a physical therapist?

Yes, claims a new study that found patients who had participated in at least 12 weeks of at-home rehabilitation with live video consultations ("telerehabilitation") scored higher in testing of the recovery of their motor skills than those who had...

Stroke patients have a higher risk of death if they're admitted to a rural hospital on the weekend, a new study finds.

University of Georgia researchers analyzed 2016 data on stroke deaths at U.S. hospitals to learn whether the so-called "weekend effect" influenced stroke outcomes.

"The weekend effect is the phenomenon where the risk of bad or adverse outcomes, such as morta...

Parents are usually pleased when their newborn seems big and strong, but new research suggests that large babies may be at higher risk for the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation later in life.

Atrial fibrillation (a-fib) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide. People with a-fib have a five times increased risk of stroke.

After administering clot-busting drugs to treat a stroke, using blood pressure cuffs to squeeze each arm might aid recovery, a new, small Chinese study suggests.

In the technique -- called remote ischemic post-conditioning -- the flow of oxygen-rich blood is repeatedly interrupted and restored using blood pressure cuffs on the arms. Earlier studies have found that the technique may p...

If your husband or wife is hospitalized in intensive care, you're more likely to have a heart attack or other serious heart problem in the next few weeks, a new study warns.

"Spouses of ICU patients should pay attention to their own physical health, especially in terms of cardiovascular disease," said senior author Dr. Hiroyuki Ohbe, a Ph.D. student in the School of Public Health at t...

Smokers have a significantly raised risk of dying from a bleeding stroke, a new study warns.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 16,000 same-sex twin pairs in Finland. The twins were born before 1958 and followed for about 42 years (between 1976 and 2018).

During the follow-up, there were 120 deaths from subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This is a type of bleedin...

Timely rehabilitation is crucial for stroke survivors, but some may not be receiving it due to the coronavirus pandemic, experts say.

Rehabilitation can help the 795,000 stroke survivors in the United States achieve the best possible recovery, according to the American Stroke Association (ASA).

That's why it's critical to begin rehabilitation within three months of a stroke,...

Most people now know that COVID-19 can cause blood clots, potentially leading to paralysis, stroke, heart attack and death.

While it's not clear precisely how SARS-CoV-2 causes clots, a new study suggests that the amount of a particular protein -- called factor V -- in a patient's blood may have something to do with it.

In March, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospit...

Uncontrolled high blood pressure is becoming more common among Americans, putting them at increased risk for heart attack and stroke, a new study shows.

Previous research showed that in 1999-2000, 32.2% of Americans maintained blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg, but the rate rose to 54.5% in 2013-2014. However, the rate fell to 48% in 2015-2016.

Unfortunately,...

Starting drug treatment early in rheumatoid arthritis patients may reduce their risk of heart disease, a new study suggests.

Rheumatoid arthritis at least doubles the risk of heart disease due to its links with atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), heart failure and stroke.

The new U.K. study found a link between early rheumatoid arthritis treatment and improveme...

Telemedicine might help people with stubbornly high blood pressure get their numbers down -- and possibly lower their risk of heart disease and stroke in the long run, a new study suggests.

Doctors already recommend that people with high blood pressure use a home monitor to track their numbers. But research suggests that home readings, alone, only make a small difference in getting th...

People with the heart-rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, may ease their symptoms with the help of a slower-paced yoga, a preliminary study finds.

Researchers from India found that over 16 weeks of yoga sessions, a-fib patients saw their symptom episodes drop by about half. Their mental well-being got a boost as well.

The findings, which were presented th...

Most strokes strike when an artery in the brain suddenly becomes blocked, but new research shows a rarer cause of strokes is becoming more common.

It's called cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), and it happens when a vein in the brain is clogged. While CVT is estimated to cause less than 1% of all strokes, scientists discovered it is now more prevalent and affecting a different demo...

Smokers with the most common type of heart rhythm disorder can reduce their risk of stroke and death by giving up cigarettes, a new study says.

"Smoking precipitates blood clots that could lead to a stroke, which may be why giving up lowers risk," said study author So-Ryoung Lee of Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea.

But even former smokers had higher odds for...

Stroke is more deadly among Black people than whites, and the reason may come down to genetics.

Researchers who studied the genomes of more than 21,000 Black people found that a common variation near the HNF1A gene was tied to an increased risk of stroke in people of African descent.

The gene has been linked to stroke and heart disease.

"Given the undue burden t...

As marijuana use becomes more common, could heart troubles follow?

Yes, warns a new statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

A full understanding of how marijuana affects the heart and blood vessels remains limited by a lack of adequate research, but some chemicals in cannabis -- particularly THC, the chemical behind marijuana's "high" -- have been linked to an i...

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide take cholesterol-lowering drugs, like statins, but now a new review suggests that many folks don't benefit from these medications.

The researchers said the review of 35 randomized controlled trials failed to show a consistent benefit in lowering the risk of heart attack or stroke, or for preventing deaths.

"Normally, when you have a...

From the 1960s to the 2010s, the United States experienced a major reduction in heart disease-related deaths among younger adults -- often called premature cardiac death.

But that decline has slowed significantly since 2010, and the risk of premature cardiovascular death may depend on where you live, according to a study published July 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Associ...