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Stroke
Prevention
and Treatment
Thanks to new tests
that help predict stroke, treatments that help control high
blood pressure, and good health habits that many Americans are
practicing, the death rate from stroke is down as much as 50
percent since 1970. Still, stroke is the third leading cause
of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability
among adults.
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke is a sudden
partial loss of brain function usually caused by a clot that
stops the flow of blood to an area of the brain. Without oxygen
and important nutrients, the affected brain cells are either
damaged or die within a few minutes.
While cell damage
can be repaired and the lost function regained, the death of
brain cells is permanent. Most strokes are caused by a blood
clot or narrowing of a blood vessel (artery) leading to the
brain. Other strokes are caused by a hemorrhage (bleeding) from
an artery. There are three major types of strokes:
Thrombotic strokes
are caused by fatty deposits (plaques) that have built up in
the arteries carrying blood to the brain. This slows the blood
flow until a blood clot completely blocks the artery and the
flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
An embolic stroke
is caused by a blood clot formed in another part of the body
that breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream, and blocks
an artery carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain. When traveling
through the body the blood clot is called an embolus.
A hemorrhagic
stroke is caused when an artery supplying blood bleeds into
the brain. The broken blood vessel prevents needed oxygen and
nutrients from reaching the brain cells. One type of hemorrhagic
stroke is caused when an artery that has weakened over time
bulges (called an aneurysm) and suddenly breaks.
Diagnosis and
Treatment
A stroke requires
immediate medical care. Research shows that treatment during
the first hours after symptoms appear can be important for the
best possible recovery. An emergency doctor or neurologist (a
doctor who diagnoses and treats disorders of the brain and nervous
system) will provide emergency treatment. Then a family doctor,
internist, or geriatrician can step in and provide longer term
care.
Doctors make an early
diagnosis by looking at symptoms, reviewing the patient’s medical
history, and performing tests such as a computerized tomography
scan--a 3-dimensional
x-ray technique to
take pictures of the brain.
What You Can Do
to Prevent a Stroke
A stroke was once
viewed as a single damaging attack, but we now know it develops
over many years. The risk factors or conditions that may lead
to stroke include high blood pressure, smoking, heart disease,
and diabetes. The risk of stroke increases with age and is higher
in African Americans and Hispanics than in whites.
You can reduce your
stroke risk by taking the following steps:
- Control your blood
pressure. Have your blood pressure checked often, and, if
it is high, follow your doctor’s advice on how to lower it.
Treating high blood pressure reduces the risk for both stroke
and heart disease.
- Stop smoking.
Cigarette smoking is linked to increased risk for stroke.
Research shows that the risk of stroke for people who have
quit smoking for 2-5 years is lower than for smokers.
Exercise regularly.
Researchers think that exercise may make the heart stronger
and improve circulation. It also helps control weight. Being
overweight increases the chance of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis,
heart disease, and adult-onset (type II) diabetes.
Physical activities
like brisk walking, cycling, swimming, and yard work lower the
risk of both stroke and heart disease. Talk with your doctor
before starting an exercise program.
- Eat a healthy
diet. Choose, prepare, and eat foods low in fats, saturated
fatty acids, and cholesterol. Eat a variety of fruits and
vegetables.
- Control diabetes.
If untreated, diabetes can damage the blood vessels throughout
the body and lead to atherosclerosis.
- Promptly report
warning signs or symptoms to your doctor. The warning signs
for stroke are a sudden, unexplained tingling and/or numbness
on one side of the body, a sudden severe headache, blurred
vision, difficulty talking, stumbling and/or sudden clumsiness.
Sometimes a mini-stroke, lasting only a few moments and called
a transient ischemic attack (TIA), comes before a stroke.
Rehabilitation
for Stroke
Rehabilitation should
begin as soon as possible after the patient is stable. It often
continues after the patient has gone home. Stroke rehabilitation
includes many kinds of therapies: physical therapy to strengthen
muscles and improve balance and coordination; speech and language
therapy; and occupational therapy to improve eye-hand coordination
and skills needed for tasks such as bathing and cooking. A team
of health care experts (physicians, physical and occupational
therapists, nurses, social workers, and speech and language
specialists) coordinates activities for the patient and family.
Rehabilitation progress
varies from person to person. For some, recovery is completed
within weeks following a stroke; for others, it may take many
months or years.
Where to Get Help
National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Information Office
P.O. Box 5801
Bethesda, MD 20824
1-800-352-9424
National High Blood
Pressure Education Program
P.O. Box 30105 Bethesda, MD 20824
301-251-1222
The National Stroke
Association
96 Inverness Drive East
Suite I
Englewood, CO 80112-5112
303-649-9299
American Heart Association
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
214-373-6300
For a list of free
publications from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), contact:
NIA Information Center
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
1-800-222-2225
1-800-224-4225 TTY
E-mail: niainfo@access.digex.net
National
Institute on Aging
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National Institutes of Health
1996
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