<p>Researchers discovered that the drug cilostazol reduced the risk of a stroke by a quarter and the risk of dangerous side-effects by a half in patients. <br /><br />The findings are significant as millions of people take a low dose of aspirin daily, which is known to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, especially if people have already had one, reports the Telegraph.<br /><br />Taking cilostazol, a drug which prevents clotting and is used to treat muscle cramps, instead would not only be more powerful but also reduce the risk of haemorrhage - one of the major dangers of taking aspirin. <br /><br />Study authors Deepak Bhatt and Dharam Kumbhani of the Harvard Medical School, said the trial suggested that cilostazol offered "prevention beyond the protection provided by aspirin". <br /><br />In the study 2,757 patients who had already suffered a stroke were split into two roughly equal groups - one of which was given aspirin and the other cilostazol for as long as five years. <br /><br />During the trial it was found that 2.76 percent of the cilostazol group suffered a stroke compared to 3.71 percent of the aspirin group - a 26 percent reduction. <br /><br />Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Britain, after heart disease and cancer. An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke in the country each year, of which 67,000 die.</p>
<p>Researchers discovered that the drug cilostazol reduced the risk of a stroke by a quarter and the risk of dangerous side-effects by a half in patients. <br /><br />The findings are significant as millions of people take a low dose of aspirin daily, which is known to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, especially if people have already had one, reports the Telegraph.<br /><br />Taking cilostazol, a drug which prevents clotting and is used to treat muscle cramps, instead would not only be more powerful but also reduce the risk of haemorrhage - one of the major dangers of taking aspirin. <br /><br />Study authors Deepak Bhatt and Dharam Kumbhani of the Harvard Medical School, said the trial suggested that cilostazol offered "prevention beyond the protection provided by aspirin". <br /><br />In the study 2,757 patients who had already suffered a stroke were split into two roughly equal groups - one of which was given aspirin and the other cilostazol for as long as five years. <br /><br />During the trial it was found that 2.76 percent of the cilostazol group suffered a stroke compared to 3.71 percent of the aspirin group - a 26 percent reduction. <br /><br />Stroke is the third most common cause of death in Britain, after heart disease and cancer. An estimated 150,000 people have a stroke in the country each year, of which 67,000 die.</p>