BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A recent study suggests that a new scoring method, called the DRAGON score, can help doctors determine quickly who will respond well to the drug alteplase, a clot-busting drug for stroke patients.

“The DRAGON score is simple and fast to perform, it has no cost, and it consists solely of factors that are known when the patient is admitted to the hospital or soon after. We found that we could determine the score in less than a minute. This can help the doctor, the patient, and the family to evaluate the situation, make choices and give the most relevant treatment with the greatest speed,” study author Daniel Strbian, M.D., Ph.D, of Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland was quoted as saying.

The study involved 1,319 patients with ischemic stroke who had an average age of 69 and who were treated with the drug alteplase. Patients were given a score of zero to ten based on glucose level, age, severity of stroke, and time since stroke symptoms started. The study showed that the higher the score the more likely the patient was tohaving a bad outcome three months later; bad outcome meaning death, requiring constant care, or being bedridden. Ninety-six percent of participates who had a score of zero to two had a good outcome three months later. Good outcome was defined as being independent in daily activities. Patients who had DRAGON scores of eight to ten did not have any good outcomes three months later. The study was also tested on a group of 333 people in Switzerland and had similar results.

Dr. Strbian believes that the score can help with decisions about therapies when alteplase will not be a good option.

SOURCE: Neurology, February 7, 2012