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ChiropracticStroke

More evidence: Stroke not associated with chiropractic

JR

In Saskatchewan and Ontario between 1993 and 2004, changes in the incidence of vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) stroke did not correlate with the use of chiropractic care.

First, the details.

  • All hospitalizations in Saskatchewan and Ontario with a discharge diagnoses of VBA stroke were reviewed.
  • Patients with VBA that had previously been hospitalized for any stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were excluded.
  • The results were compared to annual population estimates and chiropractic use.

And, the results.

  • The rate of VBA stroke was 0.9 per 100,000 person-years for Saskatchewan and 0.8 for Ontario.
  • The annual incidence rate spiked dramatically with a 360% increase for Saskatchewan in 2000.
  • There was a 38% increase for the 2000 incidence rate in Ontario.
  • Yet, the rate of chiropractic utilization did not increase significantly during the study period.

The bottom line?
The authors from Toronto Western Hospital in Ontario concluded, “the increase in VBA stroke does not seem to be associated with an increase in the rate of chiropractic utilization.”

These findings support the conclusion from a 9-year study of Ontario hospitals by the same researchers.

2/24/08

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

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