In Brief
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Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability.
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Stoke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, disrupting blood flow to an area of the brain.
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Patients should seek medical assistance as soon as they experience stroke symptoms.
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Clot-busting drugs for the treatment of stroke must start within three hours of experiencing symptoms.
Do you have high blood pressure? Do you have high cholesterol? Do you smoke? Are you overweight, or have cardiovascular disease or diabetes? Do you have family history of stroke? If you've said yes to any of these questions, you may be at risk for a stroke.
"Many individuals who are at risk for stroke do not even realize it," says Bradley P. Grayum, M.D., chief of the Division of Neurology at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. "But, unlike many other life-threatening health problems, with stroke, you have the ability to decrease your risk. By living a healthy lifestyle and controlling treatable medical disorders such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease, you can dramatically decrease your risk of stroke."
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of adult disability. It occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, disrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. It often leaves sufferers with impaired mobility, judgment, memory or speech. Even their basic life support functions, such as breathing and heart rate, may be affected. Some individuals may recover completely from less serious strokes, while others may experience life-altering brain damage or lose their lives to very severe strokes.
"Unfortunately, many victims do not recognize the symptoms of a stroke and do not seek immediate medical treatment," says Robert Slater, M.D., chief of the Section of Neurology at Delaware County Memorial Hospital. "Stroke is potentially treatable if you seek help right away. The delay in early treatment can often make a great difference in eventual recovery."
According to the National Stroke Association, the most common warning signs of stroke 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
"Every minute counts when it comes to treating a stroke," says Wendell Grogan, M.D., co-chief of Neurology at Taylor Hospital. "Getting medical treatment promptly is important because therapy with clot-busting drugs for the treatment of stroke must start within three hours of experiencing symptoms. Quick treatment not only improves chances of survival, but may also reduce the amount of disability resulting from the stroke."
Although treatment options are limited for victims of stroke, Grayum says that in the near future there is hope for new medications that will be designed to protect the brain from further damage. "Crozer-Chester Medical Center is involved in ongoing clinical trials to find new treatments for acute stroke," he says.
Along with participating in clinical trials, Crozer-Keystone Health System is aggressively working to educate the public and physicians about stroke. The Evidence-Based Medicine Task Force currently meets monthly to review issues related to stroke prevention and treatment. Other topics reviewed include appropriate management of hypertension, use of statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications and steps to reduce the time it takes to begin clot-dissolving treatment in acute stroke.
"The most important thing for stroke patients to remember is to come to the hospital as soon as you experience any of the symptoms of stroke," Grayum says.