by Scott Hensley

08:02 am

December 14, 2009

 

Strokes are the third-ranking cause of death and the leading cause of disability in this country. But most stroke specialists think it doesn't have to be so bad.

A clot-busting drug to treat strokes has been around since 1996. It could help about a third of people stricken with strokes but fewer than 5 percent receive it.

Stroke expert Dr. Lee Schwamm and NPR health correspondent Richard Knox will on hand to take your questions in a live Web chat at noon ET, Monday, Dec. 14th.

Dr. Schwamm is a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and runs the stroke center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Join us for the chat here at NPR's Shots health blog.

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