Women Benefit Less From Clot-Busting Stroke Drug

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But Elkind added that, "at this point in time, it is premature to treat women differently [than men] after a stroke. We recommend that women as well as men get to a hospital as quickly as possible and be treated as aggressively, including tPA."

There have been indications that postmenopausal women have higher levels than men of a substance that inhibits tPA activity, Abrams said. "A lot more work would have to be done to prove it, but it is an intriguing thought. But there is conflicting evidence and reasons to believe there are caveats in taking this too far."

The results should also be interpreted cautiously, noted Dr. Edgar J. Kenton III, chair of the American Academy of Neurology's practice committee. "This is the only large trial of the response to tPA in women," he said. "We need more trials proving the point one way or another."

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"I don't want this study interpreted to say that women should not get tPA," Kenton stressed. "There are small studies suggesting that with ultra-early treatment -- within one hour -- they do better than men. We need more women in more trials to look at these factors."

Kenton also noted the unusually high percentage of patients in the study who received tPA therapy within the three-hour post-stroke limit recommended by experts.

"Twenty-four percent got tPA within three hours," Kenton noted. "The national average is 5 or 6 percent." The measures used in this trial to get tPA delivered to patients early can and should be applied to everyday practice, he said.

More information

Find out more about tPA at the American Heart Association.

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