This is so important. I have everyone of these conditions that make a stroke a most likely occurrence. John C Thomson
Defend Yourself Against Stroke
Tuesday, July 31, 2012 4:21 PM
By Charlotte Libov
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Stroke is the third leading cause of death and also America’s biggest crippler. Every 45 seconds, someone in the U.S. is stricken.
How can you make sure stroke doesn’t happen to you? By taking action today you can dramatically cut your risk of stroke, say top doctors.
“The bottom line is that stroke is preventable,” says Dr. Joseph Broderick, research director of the University of Cincinnati’s Neuroscience Institute and vice chair of the American Heart Association’s Stroke Council.
Most strokes are the result of blood clots, which occur when blood vessels in the brain and neck are narrowed by atherosclerosis, the same disease process that causes heart attacks.
Here are steps that will immediately lower your risk of stroke:
• Quit smoking. When you quit, your risk goes down as soon as you set down the cigarette.
• Lower high blood pressure. Whether you use lifestyle changes or drugs, lowering high blood pressure greatly lessens the chances of a stroke.
• Lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol, which clogs arteries.
• Control diabetes, which raises blood pressure risk and damages arteries.
• Control atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that increases stroke risk.
• Eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables.
• Get regular aerobic exercise. Brisk walking and other activity helps keep arteries in peak shape, says Dr. Broderick.
If you or someone close to you is having a stroke, it’s important to get medical help fast so brain damage can be limited, according to Dr. Broderick.
There is a medication known as tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), which, if administered within three hours, can dissolve the blood clot and restore blood flow to the brain, which prevents damage.
This is why Dr. Broderick’s institution came up with the acronym “FAST,” which is now nationally promoted as the best way to learn stroke symptoms. “By using ‘FAST,’ you can recognize 85 to 90 percent of the people having a stroke,” says Dr. Broderick.
“FAST” stands for:
F- Facial paralysis. Does one side of the face droop?
A- Arms. When holding arms up, does one drift downward?
S - Speech. Is speech slurred or strange?
T- Time. Act quickly. If you observe any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Don’t attempt to drive yourself to the hospital.
Less common stroke symptoms may include sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble seeing out of one or both eyes, sudden trouble with walking, balance or coordination, and sudden severe headache with no known cause.
If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 and ask to be taken to the nearest primary stroke center, where you’ll get the fastest, most comprehensive care. If you are at high risk of stroke, identify one beforehand.
Sometimes stroke symptoms will temporarily disappear within a few hours. Don’t be fooled. You may have suffered a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, which is a warning sign of stroke. Experiencing a TIA means you are at great risk of suffering an actual stroke, most likely sooner rather than later, Dr. Broderick said.
In addition to knowing the signs of a stroke, it’s also important that your spouse, or the people around you know them as well. If you are having a heart attack, you’re able to alert someone, but if you’re having a stroke, you may not be. Your speech may be affected.
“There’s a part of your brain that functions as your body’s warning symptom," says Dr. Broderick. "If it’s affected by stroke, you may be completely unaware that you have a problem at all. This is why it is extraordinarily important for people at risk to not only educate themselves, but also to educate those around them.”
© 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
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