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Get educated during Stroke Awareness Month

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Recognize the symptoms of stroke

Special to Cape Gazette

Beebe Medical Center in Lewes and other advanced stroke centers around the country are diligently working to decrease disabilities caused by stroke, by providing 24/7 neurological emergency stroke services.

This is only a small part in the fight against this debilitating disease.

Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in America.

It occurs when a blood vessel bringing blood and oxygen to the brain gets blocked or ruptures, and brain cells don't get the flow of blood that they need. Deprived of oxygen, nerve cells can't function and die within minutes.

When nerve cells don't function, the part of the body they control doesn't have the ability to function either.

The devastating effects of stroke are often permanent because dead brain cells can't be replaced.

TIA, or transient ischemic (TRAN-see-ynt is-KE-mik) attack, is a "mini stroke" that occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery for a short time.

The symptoms of a TIA are the same as those of a stroke, but they usually last only a few minutes.

About 15 percent of strokes are preceded by TIAs, so don't ignore a TIA

Call 9-1-1 or seek emergency medical attention immediately if you have symptoms.

There is good news about stroke; it's largely preventable.

Research has shown that you can reduce your stroke risk by living a healthy lifestyle - controlling high blood pressure, not smoking, eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, being physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight, managing diabetes, drinking moderately or not at all, etc.

The other good news is that more than 5.8 million people who have had strokes are alive today. And much is being done to fight strokes.

For example, the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the clot-dissolving drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to

treat stroke is an advance because tPA can stop a stroke in progress and reduce disability.

But to be eligible for tPA, you must

seek emergency treatment right away and have a clot-caused stroke.

Everyone in the community should learn to recognize a stroke because time lost is brain lost. Stroke symptoms 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.

Act FAST and call 9-1-1 with any signs of stroke. Use FAST to remember the warning signs:

F= Face; ask the person to smile. Does one side droop?

A= Arms; ask the person to raise both arms. Does one droop down?

S= Speech; ask the person to repeat simple phrases. Is the speech slurred or stranger than usual?

T= Time; Time is brain; if you observe any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Note: the time of the appearance of the first symptom. This information is important to your healthcare provider and can affect treatment decisions.

Learn more about stroke by talking to your doctor, nurse or other healthcare professionals. Ask about other stroke topics.

For more information about stroke call the American Stroke Association at 1-888-4-STROKE; (1-888-478-7653) or visit us online

at StrokeAssociation.org.

If you or someone you know has had a stroke, call the American Stroke Association's Warm-line at 888-4-STROKE (1-888-478-7653) and:

Speak with other stroke survivors and caregivers trained to answer your questions and offer support

Get information on stroke support groups in your area

Sign up to get Stroke Connection, a free magazine for stroke survivors and caregivers.

Source: American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Inc.

Abraham Scheer, M.D., is an Adult & Pediatric Neurologist and Beebe Medical





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