Osofsky-McGonigle had aphasia, a common outcome of stroke in which parts of the brain related to language, including reading, writing and talking, are damaged.

CNN: Stroke recovery: One woman's story

News that Hosni Mubarak, ousted last year after 30 years as despot, was near to death after a stroke in prison may be irrelevant to the outcome of the current power struggle.

ECONOMIST: The Arab spring

However, the latest study, from the University of Santiago de Compostella, found a huge difference in the outcome for patients who were allowed to carry on taking their statins when they reached hospital after a stroke.

BBC: NEWS | Health | Statins 'life saving' for strokes