Patient Eligibility: Who Can Benefit from Stem Cell Therapy for Stroke?
Depending on the type and severity of stroke, every stroke victim will experience different levels of cognitive, emotional or physical impairments. Stem cell therapy has the potential to improve these negative effects, but it's important to understand patient eligibility before seeking this treatment.
In this article we'll explore how stem cell therapy can improve the long-term effects of stroke, criteria for stem cell therapy for stroke victims and the pre-treatment evaluation process.
Overview of Stroke and Its Long-term Effects
When someone suffers a stroke, the blood supply to their brain is cut off, caused either by bleeding of the brain or a lack of blood flow to the brain. When the brain doesn’t get enough blood, brain cells die.
While recovery varies from person to person, stroke can have serious long-term effects. For example, 30% of stroke victims develop dementia within a year of their stroke. Other effects of stroke include:
- Decreased coordination, muscle control and paralysis
- Difficulty communicating, memory problems and changes in thinking
- Anxiety, depression, irritability or other mood changes
Understanding Stem Cells and Their Role in Stroke Recovery
Stem cell therapy for stroke recovery is a promising treatment because stem cells can slow or even halt the progression of the disease. Stem cell therapy also promotes the growth of brain cells and improves neurological functions, which makes it an excellent therapy for stroke.
Criteria for Patient Eligibility
Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) therapy is used by treatment centers like Swiss Medica. This type of stem cell therapy has very few side effects, but patient eligibility requires the absence of the following contradictions:
- History of cancer
- Infectious disease in the acute stage
- Previous negative reactions to stem cell therapy
- Stroke in the last three months
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Mental disorders or addiction
Patients must also be able to provide access to their medical history and be willing to complete necessary testing. Furthermore, patients must be fit for travel.
Assessment and Evaluation Process
Before receiving stem cell therapy for stroke, patients must undergo assessment and evaluation.
Initial Consultation and Medical Review
During an initial consultation, doctors will perform simple blood tests and functional assessments to determine the severity of the stroke. They will also review medical records and family history, and determine the most suitable stem cell treatment. Doctors also look for any of the contraindications mentioned above.
Diagnostic Imaging and Neurological Assessments
Doctors use diagnostic imaging such as CAT scans and MRIs to understand the severity of brain damage caused by stroke. This can help them understand if stem cell treatment is a suitable option and what the best course of treatment is.
In addition, they conduct neurological assessments to evaluate the severity of cognitive impairments caused by stroke.
Optimizing Outcomes and Setting Realistic Expectations
Stem cell therapy is an innovative new treatment that can provide amazing benefits, but it's important to remember each individual reacts differently.
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Expected Outcomes and Potential Benefits
It is difficult to draw concrete conclusions on the outcomes related to stem cell therapy for stroke, but research showed that stem cell therapy showed better outcomes than conventional therapy used alone in patients with stroke. The following benefits can be observed in stroke patients after use of stem cell therapy:
- Regained muscle control and coordination
- Improved speech
- Improved cognitive function
- Improve mood
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In conclusion
Stem cell therapy involves a novel non-invasive therapy promising treatment for stroke. In other words, stem cells can initiate repair for the damaged brain cells as a result of stroke and stimulate the birth of new healthy neurons. This is paramount in a stroke victim since the impairments are a result of brain cell damage.
In general, stem cell therapy is very safe. However, some pre-treatment evaluations may be important to provide the physician with information about contraindications and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan that will provide the most benefit.
