The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award for treatment of stroke:

Medical Award Granted to Professor Markku Kaste

4 Jan, 2008

The Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award 2008 will be granted to Markku Kaste, Emeritus Professor of Neurology, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in research into the prevention and treatment of stroke. This year is the 28th anniversary of the Medical Award worth 20,000 euros. 

Professor Markku Kaste is a pioneer in the thrombolytic treatment of stroke and its adoption. He has also been involved in multinational research projects aimed at developing a number of medical and surgical prevention of stroke, the treatment of acute stroke and the multi-professional treatment at a Stroke Unit.

Professor Kaste has taken special care of the practical implementation of treatments clinically proven effective and safe and their availability for all those in need of treatment. He led eg working groups which in 1979 prepared the first national clinical guidelines for stroke (issued by SITRA, the Innovation Fund) and the most recent clinical guidelines on the current care of cerebral infarction issued by Duodecim, the Finnish Medical Society, in 2006.

Kaste has also been actively involved in preparing international clinical guidelines both in Europe and North America. In 1997, he founded the European Stroke Initiative (EUSI) which has prepared one of the world's most widespread clinical guidelines and keeps them up to date. The EUSI also maintains a Virtual Stroke University, has a Master Programme in Stroke Medicine and organises summer schools for young researchers every year.

Quick stroke treatment in Finland

Around 14,000 people are annually hospitalised for stroke and around 5,000 patients die of cerebral infarction. If a cerebral artery can be quickly recanalised based on thrombolysis, in many cases it is possible to prevent a patient's severe paralysis and loss of speech and any damage to other cognitive functions.

The sooner medical treatment begins, the better the chances for recovery. A larger number of patients receive very early thrombolytic therapy at the Meilahti hospital alone than for example in the whole of France, Italy or Spain. In Finland, a larger number of patients per one million inhabitants receive thrombolytic treatment than in any other EU member state.

– Although much has already been achieved, considering that stroke incidence and mortality rates are continuing their fall in Finland, there is still much to do, states Kaste. 

– On average, one out of three of us suffers from stroke, dementia or both. However, a healthy lifestyle and effective treatment of risk factors can reduce the risk of disease as preventive measures. If the prevention has not been sufficient and one suffers from stroke, it is possible to recover from it. It is important for the patient  to receive appropriate treatment quickly at an Emergency Room and, if necessary, personalised rehabilitation.

Kaste thinks that the best possible treatment and rehabilitation are the only ethically and economically sustainable solutions from the perspective of an individual and society. – We currently have better opportunities than ever before to succeed in this respect but success does not come easy. It requires dedicated, long-term efforts.

New perspectives for cerebral infraction treatment

New medicines and therapies are continuously being developed for cerebral infarction that would benefit a larger number of patients. Kaste's research group is currently studying a medical treatment based on a drug developed from a molecule of a human body's own organ system.
– The idea is based on a molecule evolved over millions of years that may be modified appropriately so as to serve as an effective treatment of cerebral infarction, describes Kaste.

The 28th Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award

Presented to Markku Kaste by Tomi Yli-Kyyny, President of Pohjola Non-Life Insurance Company, and Markku Vesterinen, Senior Executive Vice President of Suomi Mutual Assurance Company, at the Finnish Medical Convention in Helsinki on 8 January 2008, the Pohjola and Suomi Mutual Medical Award worth 20,000 euros will see its 28th anniversary this year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Markku Kaste, Professor, Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), tel. +358 (9) 471 72 220, paging +358 50 427 0303, mobile +358 40 510 2423 or email markku.kaste@hus.fi

Esa Rahkonen, Chief Physician, Pohjola, tel- +358 (0)10 253 2315 or email esa.rahkonen@pohjola.fi