Study: Jolts May Cause Strokes Sat Feb 9, 2002 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=534&u=/ap/20 020209/ap_on_he_me/stroke_triggers_1 By DANIEL Q. HANEY, AP Medical Editor SAN ANTONIO - Ringing doorbells and other jolts that make people jump appear to be powerful and surprisingly common triggers of strokes, a study concluded. Researchers found that sudden movements, usually ones caused by being startled, increase the risk of stroke by 33 times over the usual level. Israeli researchers who looked for possible stroke triggers in 150 victims found that 22 percent of them had sudden movements just before their strokes. Other researchers have identified a variety of triggers for heart attacks — including simply climbing out of bed in the morning — but the latest study is among the first to search for the events that start strokes. Dr. Nathan Bornstein noted that many people live with the underlying causes of strokes, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, for years. Then, for no obvious reason, a blood clot lodges in the brain, triggering a stroke. "We are looking for the triggers," he said. "What happened around this moment when the artery is blocked by a clot?" Bornstein presented the results of the study, conducted at Tel Aviv University, at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association, which concluded Saturday in San Antonio. ***** Abrupt Movement Can Trigger Stroke: Study Mon Feb 11,10:12 AM ET http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=594&u=/nm/2 0020211/hl_nm/stroke_sudden_1 By Martha Kerr SAN ANTONIO (Reuters Health) - A startle reaction, such as a little jump in reaction to a sudden loud noise, may be enough to bring on a stroke in people at risk, Israeli researchers told attendees of the American Stroke Association's 27th International Stroke Conference here Friday night. A team at Tel Aviv University looked for events that may have triggered stroke in 150 patients admitted to their institution with acute stroke. Dr. Natan M. Bornstein explained that his team examined the events in the 2 hours preceding stroke onset and compared them to events occurring in the same 2-hour period the day previous to the stroke.