After a stroke, life rarely returns to its previous rhythm.
Recovery can take months, and sometimes years. But even when a person gradually returns to their daily lives, one serious risk remains – the possibility of another stroke.
This is precisely the problem that the European scientific study EAST-STROKE, presented as part of Brain Awareness Week, focuses on.
The hidden factor – atrial fibrillation
One of the most common risk factors for stroke is atrial fibrillation – a heart rhythm disorder that often goes unnoticed.
In this condition, the heart does not contract evenly. This can lead to:
blood retention
formation of blood clots
movement of the clot to the brain
When this happens, a stroke occurs.
What EAST-STROKE is investigating
The EAST-STROKE project is investigating whether earlier treatment of atrial fibrillation can reduce the risk of another stroke.
To this end, different therapeutic approaches are being compared:
standard therapy
heart rhythm control therapy
Rhythm control can be achieved through:
medication
catheter ablation
The international clinical trial
EAST-STROKE is a large-scale clinical trial.
Main parameters:
1,746 participants
countries: Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Switzerland
expansion: United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil
start of patient enrollment: December 2025
The project is coordinated by the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).
Why this is important for Bulgaria
Stroke remains one of the most serious public health diseases in the country.
The data show that:
10% of patients die in the acute phase of the stroke
26% lose their lives by the end of the first year
This means that improving prevention can have a huge effect.
The President of the AIA Eng. Dorina Dobreva emphasizes:
“If such scientific results are widely applied in practice, this could mean saving about 13,000 Bulgarians every year.”
The Deputy President Dr. Georgi Georgiev adds:
"Many stroke patients are afraid to measure their blood pressure because they associate it with the risk of another stroke. In fact, modern electronic blood pressure measuring devices, when certified as medical devices, can also reliably warn of the presence of atrial fibrillation. This makes home measurement not a cause for alarm, but a tool for prevention."
The message of the day
Preventing a second stroke begins with early detection of heart rhythm disturbances.