Every year in the United States, there are more than 780,000 strokes. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the country behind heart disease and cancer and causes more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease. Today, there is an increased effort to educate all of us on the signs and symptoms of stroke as well as what to do immediately. As a matter of fact there is a new public service announcement program that says it all — "Stroke's No Joke."
Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65 and the risk of have a stroke more than doubles each decade after the age of 55. This is not to say that a stroke cannot occur in someone younger, so the importance of knowing the signs and symptoms and what to do right away becomes even more important.
In the past, doctors couldn't do much to help stroke victims, but that's not true today. Nowadays stroke doesn't always lead to disability or death. The key is to recognize a stroke and get to the hospital immediately. The clot dissolving drug TPA (tissue plasminogen activator) or other clot "busting" drugs can reduce long-term disability if given within three hours after an ischemic stroke starts. (Ischemic stokes are caused by clots and are by far the most common type of stroke.)
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die. A TIA or transient ischemic attack is a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke. The usual TIA symptoms are the same as those of stroke, only temporary. The short duration of these symptoms and lack of permanent brain injury is the main difference between TIA and stroke.
Unfortunately TPA can't be used as often as it could be because many people don't recognize the need to get care quickly enough. Don't make that mistake. If you or someone you know has the signs of a stroke, call 911 immediately.
Here are the key symptoms:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, leg, especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Stroke is not a geriatric disease. And it's not confined to elderly overweight smokers who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. "Those are the most common risk factors," according to Steven J. Kittner, M.D., director of the Maryland Stroke Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. "But strokes can affect anyone at any age. There are other risk factors for stroke that are especially important for women under 55." These include:
- Migraines: Recent research shows that women who suffer from migraines with aura (visual disturbances such as flashing dots or blind spots) can be up to 10 times more likely to suffer a stroke, depending on other risk factors.
- Birth Control Pills: Women who take even a low-estrogen birth control pill may be twice as likely to have a stroke as those who don't and the risk may increase if other risk factors are present.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy: Women who take hormone replacement therapy may have a slightly increased stroke risk.
- Autoimmune diseases such as diabetes or lupus can increase the risk of stroke.
- Clotting disorders: Women who've had more than one miscarriage may be at higher risk for blood clots, which can increase their chance of a stroke. Other signs of a possible clotting disorder can include previous history of clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis) and livedo reticularis, a mottled purplish discoloration of the skin.
Treating a stoke within three hours is critical to the chances of avoiding lasting stroke damage. Note the time the symptoms started. If you get treatment within the three-hour window, there is a chance that you may fully recover unscathed.
There are high risk groups prone to stroke, primarily African Americans, Hispanics and as mentioned previously, those over the age of 50. Because stroke attacks the brain, the person experiencing the symptoms often cannot act alone to call 911 and seek medical attention.
Family, friends and even bystanders become the key component to getting people who have suffered a stoke to the hospital quickly enough to get time-sensitive treatments.
Pocono Medical Center ranks in the top 5 percent in the nation for treatment of stroke and has recently earned the Stroke Care Excellence Award for the third consecutive year. Remember, stroke is a true medical emergency. Every minute matters.