A respected doctor with a strong background in research and education, Dr. Stephen J. Marks serves as a vascular neurologist at Neurology Associates of Westchester in Hawthorne, New York. Throughout his career, Dr. Stephen J. Marks has been recognized for his work in the area of stroke care.
A number of risk factors for strokes exist, some of which include family history and age. While those things aren’t controllable, other stroke risk factors can be addressed. One of the most important risk factors is high blood pressure. Though this is considered the single largest contributor to strokes, it is also one of the easier elements to treat. Cutting back on salt, lowering cholesterol intake, and increasing fruit and vegetables in the diet are all ways to lower blood pressure.
Obesity, as well as associated complications such as diabetes, can increase the risk of a stroke. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight and lower blood pressure, while careful diet planning and watching caloric intake can further reduce obesity and the correlating stroke risk.
Dr. Stephen J. Marks serves as a vascular neurologist at Neurology Associates of Westchester, where he treats a number of cerebrovascular conditions. Dr. Stephen J. Marks also leads as co-chief of the Cerebrovascular Disease Section at Westchester Medical Center, where he is also the attending neurologist and directs the Cerebrovascular Program and Stroke Center.
In the summer of 2018, the journal Current Neurovascular Research published findings of gene expression differences that may correlate to the development of cerebral aneurysm. Each year, approximately 30,000 individuals in the US experience a ruptured aneurysm, while up to 6 percent may be living with an unruptured cerebral aneurysm.
Researchers believe that screening for these events may one day be possible thanks to the discovery of nine genes that show association with aneurysm risk. The research team identified these genes by manipulating the vessel flow load in the brains of rodent subjects. Some of these subjects were bred to be predisposed to aneurysm, while others were bred resistant to the condition.
Review of the rats' genetic makeup showed that 24 genes were expressed differently when both groups of rats were in an absence of flow loading, or resting state. Flow-loading revealed nine genes that had a strong flow-induced expression related to blood flow, with substantial differences between the aneurysm-prone and aneurysm-resistant rats.
Researchers believe that these genes play a significant part in the brain's ability or inability to restore healthy levels of stress in the arterial walls of the brain following vessel flow load. This discovery may eventually lead to biomarker tests that could identify cerebral aneurysm risk at a stage early enough to halt or reverse aneurysm development, thus reducing the risk of a clinical event.
A vascular neurologist with Neurology Associates of Westchester, Dr. Stephen J. Marks has focused much of his career on advancing stroke care. Dr. Stephen J. Marks currently directs the Stroke Center and Neurovascular Program at Westchester Medical Center and has contributed to several stroke treatment research initiatives.
Although a major stroke can cause significant and lasting damage, a minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) is often a less serious medical event. However, minor strokes and TIAs put patients at greater risk of experiencing a major stroke in the future. Many patients receive prescriptions for anticoagulants to lower the chance of major stroke and prevent the reoccurrence of blockages that obstruct blood flow to the brain.
A research team at The University of Texas at Austin found that adding aspirin to this regimen may further reduce a patient's risk of major stroke. The recommendation follows an analysis of data involving nearly 5,000 adult patients across 10 countries who had experienced a minor stroke or TIA. The team noticed that the patients who took aspirin alongside the anticoagulant clopidogrel had a 25 percent lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or clot-related fatality within three months of the primary event.
The researchers discovered that this regimen would increase the risk of bleeding in five out of every 1,000 patients. Patients in this pool could also expect 15 fewer major strokes and other ischemic events. Due to the potential decrease in stroke occurrence and the fact that none of the bleeding events were fatal and most were preventable or treatable, the team concluded that the treatment’s benefits outweigh the risks.
A leader in the treatment of conditions such as dementia and stroke, Dr. Stephen J. Marks serves as director of the stroke center and neurovascular program at Westchester Medical Center. In recognition of his work with stroke victims, Dr. Stephen J. Marks is a Silver Heart member and fellow of the American Heart Association.
Early recognition and prompt treatment for stroke can lead to a faster recovery with fewer long-term deficits. To recognize stroke in its early stages, consider the acronym FAST:
F: Does the side of the face droop? Ask the potential victim to smile, and if the mouth is uneven, call 911 immediately.
A: Is one arm weak? If one arm drifts downward when arms are raised overhead, stroke is indicated.
S: Does the individual display any speech difficulties? If he or she cannot speak, cannot repeat a simple phrase, or if speech is slurred, then
T: Time to call 911.
Seeking medical help in the presence of any of the above symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, can speed treatment time and support recovery. Additional signs and symptoms to consider might include sudden headaches, trouble seeing, sudden numbness, and dizziness.
Dr. Stephen J. Marks serves as a vascular neurologist at Neurology Associates of Westchester and directs the stroke program at Westchester Medical Center. Also a member of the hospital's ad hoc committee on algorithm development for cryptogenic stroke, Dr. Stephen J. Marks stands out as lead author of a paper on cryptogenic stroke that appears in the journal Cardiology in Review.
For most patients, stroke develops as a result of a blood clot to the brain. For others, the cause is hemorrhagic, meaning that there is bleeding in a blood vessel. As many as 30 percent of patients, however, experience a stroke of unknown cause.
These events are known as cryptogenic stroke. Research into the potential causes of these strokes have identified a type of irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation as a likely contributing factor. This means that evaluation of cardiac rhythm is becoming a crucial factor in the prevention of future strokes.
A recent study has revealed that the introduction of a subcutaneous heart monitor can help medical teams track a patient's cardiac rhythms for as long as three years. In the study, a research team placed monitors under the skin of patients who were undergoing evaluation for cryptogenic stroke. In 30 percent of participants, the devices indicated previously undetected atrial fibrillation, while such events came to light in less than 2 percent of control patients.
Among those patients whose devices identified atrial fibrillation, 97 percent received a prescription for anti-clotting drugs. Researchers believe that such long-term monitoring could become a crucial component of post-cryptogenic stroke assessment and care.
