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After people drink alcohol, their risk of a common health threat may rise for a brief period. Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, host of HealthDay TV. Every 40 seconds, an American has a stroke - that adds up to about 800,000 people having strokes each year, according to the American Heart Association. Most of these are ischemic strokes, which involve a blockage in a blood vessel supplying the brain. New research from the journal Stroke finds that alcohol may play a role in some of these cases. The researchers interviewed 390 patients shortly after they'd had an ischemic stroke. The patients discussed their alcohol consumption during the previous year, including whether they drank during the hour before their stroke symptoms started. About two-thirds had had alcohol in the previous year. Fourteen patients had consumed alcohol within an hour of their stroke. After running the numbers, the researchers concluded that the risk of stroke was 2.3 times higher in the hour after drinking than during times when people weren't drinking. The American Heart Association recommends that if people drink, they limit it to one or two drinks daily for men, or one drink for women. I'm Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with the news that doctors are reading; health news that matters to you.
