Annually, about 4000 Swedes suffer a recurrent stroke, and for many, their lives change dramatically. To prevent recurring strokes, knowledge about the individual's risk of recurrence is needed to tailor an effective preventive medical treatment. The purpose of the SALSA study is to investigate whether an expanded risk assessment and subsequent treatment can reduce the recurrence of stroke in study patients. Stroke, i.e., infarction/bleeding in the brain, has several different causes that individually or together constitute the risk of recurrence. Furthermore, stroke patients often have concomitant vascular diseases in other vascular beds, which further increases the risk. Every fourth patient with acute stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) admitted to any of the stroke wards at Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, is consecutively invited to participate in the SALSA study. Those who accept the study invitation, receive an expanded investigation of the most common causes of cerebral infarction (atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation, narrowing of the brain\'s small vessels) or brain haemorrhage (presence of the protein amyloid in the vessels, high blood pressure). Due to the high risk of stroke patients having a vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, the presence of arterial stiffness in the aorta, 24-hour blood pressure, and blood circulation in the legs are examined at the follow-up visit. If vascular disease is detected, expanded preventive treatment is provided. Neither a general investigation of the most common stroke aetiologies in addition to the one assessed to have caused the current stroke nor examinations of other vascular beds are recommended in national stroke guidelines. In addition to the extended risk assessment, the patient will get a written treatment program tailored after the individual patient's risk profile. The compliance to this treatment program will be assessed during a return visit one year after the hospital stay. After this visit, the active participation in the study is completed for the study participant. During the remainder of the follow-up, the study participant will be followed in national medical registers. The remaining 3/4 of patients at Danderyd Hospital constitute the comparison group, who are investigated and treated according to routine and hence do not undergo the additional vascular examinations. Stroke recurrence and other cardiovascular events occurring within the next 5-10 years will be compared between study patients and the comparison group via the national stroke registry containing all stroke and TIA patients at Danderyd Hospital.
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Number of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE)
Timeframe: Total follow up of each study participant is up to 15 years.