Severe, rapid memory loss may be linked to — and could predict —
a future deadly stroke, according to research presented at the
American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference
2012. Researchers found that people who died after stroke had
more severe memory loss in the years before stroke compared to
people who survived stroke or people who didn't have a stroke.
"We're most surprised that people who died after strokes had
such sharp memory declines years before stroke onset" said
Qianyi Wang, the study's lead author and a graduate student at
the Harvard University School of Public Health in Boston, Mass.
In the study, researchers examined 11,814 people age 50 years
and older every two years for signs of declining memory. Study
participants were stroke-free at enrollment and were followed up
to 10 years. Participants continued in the study if they
survived a stroke. They reported 1,820 strokes, including 364
individuals who died after stroke but before the next memory
assessment. Average memory lo