Stroke in the news - June 2026
Our latest round-up includes promising new treatments and research as well as helpful advice and information, along with uplifting personal stories.
What’s making the news on stroke around the world? Our latest round-up of over a dozen stories includes promising new treatments and research as well as helpful advice and information, along with uplifting stories from those living with stroke.
As ever, click on the pink links beneath each synopsis to read the full story!
Stroke patients at Southmead Hospital among the first in the UK to benefit from new test
The test, developed by Genedrive, a UK-based genetic testing company, allows hospitals to identify patients who are unlikely to respond to clopidogrel, a commonly prescribed drug used to reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause further strokes. Half of people of Asian ancestry are resistant to clopidogrel. Those people often leave hospital with a prescription that may not protect them against another stroke.
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/stroke-patients-southmead-hospital-among-11016585
Doctors thought I was hungover but I was having a stroke at 20
It was during her recovery that the singer from Cardiff met two other young women - Cari Davies and Mererid Rees - who had also suffered strokes in their 20s, and the trio formed a "sisterhood”. Nia said: "I've now got friends who were in a super similar situation, and we're all stroke survivors.
"Even though our stories are very different, there's... some unwritten understanding that there's some kind of sisterhood amongst the three of us.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8r8rd2624o
The doctor who mends broken brains: why there is room for hope after a stroke or head injury
The neurologist Orlando Swayne doesn’t suggest everyone can recover. But he does argue that early, targeted and intense therapy can sometimes bring about life-changing improvements – and we have a moral obligation to provide it
Stroke in young adults: why it is increasingly affecting those under 55
Recent research shows that between 5% and 15% of stroke cases in high-income countries occur in people under the age of 55, with the figure reaching up to 24% in lower-income countries. Perhaps most concerning is the rise in stroke incidence among younger adults since the early 21st century, in contrast to the overall decline observed in older age groups.
The figures are striking: from approximately 11 cases per 100,000 young people per year, rates have increased to around 21. This represents an increase of up to 90%. Although stroke is still relatively uncommon under the age of 55, the upward trend is clear.
https://www.clinicbarcelona.org/en/news/stroke-in-young-adults-why-it-is-increasingly-affecting-those-under-55
9 expert ways to cut your chances of having a stroke
Every year more than 100,000 people in the UK suffer a stroke, according to The Stroke Association. It’s one of the leading causes of death and disability in the country and more than two-thirds of survivors leave hospital with some form of disability. What steps can you take to minimise your stroke risk? Medical specialists offer their best advice.
https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/health-and-wellbeing/ways-to-cut-stroke-risk
Hong Kong develops ‘world’s first’ nasal spray for rapid stroke aid
Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have developed what they say is the “world’s first” nasal spray that delivers neurotherapeutic powder directly to the brain as first aid for ischemic stroke patients. The medicine, known as NanoPowder, is designed to reduce brain damage by more than 80 per cent and improve stroke survival rates. (Youtube video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyourYqtIOA
Stroke test at new clinic "will save lives"
The test is carried out at a new clinic at Queen's Medical Centre (QMC), specialising in assessing and treating patients following a suspected minor stroke. The test also has wider benefits, as it can indicate whether other medications - including Warfarin, certain anti-depressants, drugs used to treat anxiety or indigestion, and some statins - are working effectively for patients, allowing treatment to be adjusted if they carry the gene variant.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7p4zwq15do
Exoskeletons revolutionize physical therapy for stroke
The traditional path to help patients regain movement after a stroke or spinal cord injury takes a herculean effort. But now robots are literally stepping in to help.
The research team studied the devices in eight stroke survivors. Called TEPI, therapist-exoskeleton-patient interaction, the lower body robotics helped study participants take longer, higher steps and improve range-of-motion. And the devices boosted motivation. Patients actually enjoyed their sessions wearing the tech.
https://wgntv.com/news/medical-watch/exoskeletons-revolutionize-physical-therapy-for-stroke/
A dietitian’s guide to reducing the risk of high blood pressure and stroke
Eating a nutrient-dense diet is important for stroke prevention. In fact, up to 80% of strokes may be preventable by making small, healthy lifestyle changes. Here’s what I recommend.
A small change after stroke treatment could help more patients recover
When a stroke clot is pulled free and the blocked artery reopens, the frightening part seems over. The monitors settle, the family exhales, and everyone’s attention slides toward the long work of recovery and rehab.
Those next few hours carry more weight than anyone assumed. Around half of patients with a textbook-clean reopening still never win back their independence, and a trial in Spain traced part of that loss to a single number doctors had quietly stopped chasing.
https://www.earth.com/news/a-small-change-after-stroke-treatment-could-help-more-patients-recover/
COVID-19 vaccine linked with lower risk of heart attack, stroke: Study
The study found that the vaccine decreased the risk of cardiovascular death associated with the virus by nearly 60 percent, the risk of heart attack by around 40 percent and the risk of stroke by just more than 30 percent. Additionally, it decreased the risk of hospitalization for heart failure by around 40 percent, according to the study.
The researchers found that people over the age of 75 had the greatest reduction in risk for these health issues, as well as those with preexisting health conditions.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5926083-covid-19-vaccine-cardiovascular-benefits/
Reinforcing body clock rhythms may help brain recover from stroke, study suggests
Improving sleep by reinforcing the body's natural daily rhythms could help the brain recover after a stroke, potentially providing a new strategy to enhance the brain's waste clearance and outcomes, according to a new study.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, show that interventions designed to reinforce the body's natural circadian rhythms, such as timed light exposure, melatonin or a body clock-targeting drug, improved recovery in mouse models of stroke.
99% of heart attacks and strokes are linked to four common risk factors: Study of nine million people reveals striking findings
Heart attacks and strokes always seem to catch people off guard. Imagine this: a person looks healthy overall, and then ends up in the ER out of nowhere. For years, that surprise has fueled the belief that serious heart trouble can just show up, totally out of the blue.
But a massive new study says that story’s all wrong.
Researchers dug into health records from over 9 million adults in South Korea and the US, tracing their medical histories long before they had a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure. And the results? Pretty much everyone (nearly over 99% of them) had at least one of four big risk factors before their crisis hit. And more than nine out of ten actually had two or more red flags showing up years beforehand.
Personalized blood pressure control after thrombectomy boosts 90-day stroke recovery
Blood pressure management after thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke may require a change in approach. The HOPE clinical trial—short for Hemodynamic Optimization of Cerebral Perfusion after Endovascular Therapy—led by the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau), has shown that adapting blood pressure targets to the degree of cerebral reperfusion significantly improves patients' functional recovery without increasing the risk of complications.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-personalized-blood-pressure-thrombectomy-boosts.html
Photo by Bank Phrom on Unsplash
