LOS ANGELES, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found the percentage of stroke survivors taking blood thinners stayed steady over seven years.
Dr. Eric Cheng of the University of California-Los Angeles and colleagues found that in each year of the seven-year study, about 20 percent of survivors were not taking medications to prevent further stroke -- a figure that did not decrease during the time period.
The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, also determined those less likely to take these medications -- one of the most common of which is aspirin -- were those who were younger, female and Hispanic.
"Prior studies have shown that nearly all stroke survivors receive such medications in the hospital," Cheng, the study leader, said in a statement.
"However, it was not known whether stroke survivors continued to take this type of medication after they were discharged from the hospital."
