Understanding Stroke Risk
A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things occur, brain cells begin to die and brain damage results.
When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These may include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends upon which area of the brain is affected and how much the brain is damaged.
For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability.
As with a heart attack, a brain attack is an emergency. The sooner someone who is experiencing a stroke gets to a hospital, the faster they can get interventions that can minimize damage to the brain.
Stroke Symptoms
The symptoms of a stroke are related to what area of the brain is damaged. Symptoms generally come on rather suddenly and can range from mild to severe. If you have any stroke symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.
These include:
• Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg-especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you have experienced any of these symptoms, you may have had a TIA or mini-stroke. Ask your doctor if you can lower your risk for stroke by taking aspirin, or by other means.
If you think someone may be having a stroke, act F.A.S.T. and do this simple test:
Face - Ask the person to smile-does one side of the face droop?
Arm - Ask the person to raise both arms-does one arm drift downward?
Speech - Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence-Are the words slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?
Time - Time is of the essence when you or someone you are with experiences any of these symptoms. Consider them an emergency and dial 9-1-1. For every minute it takes to get intervention, brain cells are dying.
Risk Factors
Risk factors for strokes include:
• Age
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Excess alcohol use
• Heart disease
• Sedentary life style
• Untreated atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat)
• Depression
While you don’t have control over some risk factors, like age, you can control others like smoking and how active you are. Also, if you have a chronic condition like diabetes, high blood pressure or atrial fibrillation, it is very important that you work closely with your health care provider to manage those conditions well. Participating in a regular physical fitness program and having a good sense of humor can help prevent or relieve depression. In addition, a regular exercise program helps most chronic medical conditions—Movement is Medicine!
After a Stroke
After a person suffers a stroke, rehabilitation is usually necessary. Physical, occupational and speech therapists can help you recover. Modifications to the living environment may be needed to allow for maximum independence. Recovery from stroke is a lifetime endeavor, and improvements are possible for a long time afterwards.
For more information about stroke awareness go to www.strokeassociataion.org
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