BBC: Offer Gene Test to Stroke Patients, NHS Told
People who have had a stroke caused by a blood clot should have a DNA test to see whether they can be given a drug to help prevent more brain attacks, new draft guidelines for the NHS say.
Stroke risk increases when someone has had one previously, which is why preventive medication is recommended. But a standard anti-clot drug, clopidogrel, works well for patients with certain genes only.
Others need a different protective drug - so the gene check could save lives.
“An estimated one out of every three people - and even more among Asian families - in the UK does not have the enzymes to process clopidogrel, because of their genetic make-up.”
Read the full article here: