Strokes are a major cause of death worldwide, and cause over 50,000 new cases each year in Australia. 85 per cent of stroke is due to blood vessel blockage and 15 per cent due to haemorrhage.

Up to 20 per cent of patients with acute stroke have the "lacunar" stroke sub-type, due to "small blood vessel" stroke, affecting some 10,000 Australians each year. Other stroke types are due to clots from the heart (emboli) or blockage of large blood vessels.

Typical risk factors for stroke include smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

The results of the National Health and Medical Research Council funded study will be published in the July print edition of the prestigious Lancet Neurology. Electronic advance copies are now available online at The Lancet together with an editorial.

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