Healthy Living Newsletter
Understand Your Risk of Stroke
Mercy Hospital offers preventive measures to keep you WELL aware
 |
| David Miller of Berlin Township reaches out across the Internet to thank Amy Wright, a Physician Assistant with the Michigan Stroke Network. Although David took his stroke risk very seriously and worked at prevention, he experienced an ischemic stroke and was promptly and successfully treated in the Mercy Hospital emergency room through the assistance of a telemedicine robot and the Michigan Stroke Network (MSN). The MSN links local patients to advanced stroke specialists and resources at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Oakland County. |
Jen Jones considered herself a young 63. Although she was overweight, she didn’t have any daily aches or pains and did all the things she had done when she was 50. Then she had a stroke, and it changed her life.
“If I had one day of my life to live over...” Jen lamented. Actually, she realized that what she needed was greater understanding of her risk factors for stroke.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death for Americans, after heart disease and cancer, and it strikes suddenly and decisively. About 20 percent of strokes are fatal, and most of the rest leave the patient with at least some disability. Yet most Americans fail to realize the seriousness of stroke and what they can do to protect themselves.
A stroke occurs because of faulty blood circulation to the brain. An ischemic stroke, the most common, is caused by a clot or other blockage of a blood vessel in the brain or in the neck leading to the brain. About 20 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic, caused by uncontrolled bleeding into the brain or the spaces surrounding the brain.
Like a heart attack, a stroke is a medical emergency. Any delay in treatment can mean irreversible damage, resulting in disabilities.
David Miller of Berlin Township experienced a stroke in May 2007. If not for the quick thinking of his wife Brenda, who instructed EMS to take David to Mercy Hospital, his recovery may not have been as successful. Mercy is connected to advanced stroke treatment through the telemedicine technology of the Michigan Stroke Network.
David, at age 52, was familiar with his risk factors for stroke. “Nearly 30 years ago, my father experienced a massive stroke during triple-bypass surgery and his life was forever affected,” explains David. “They didn’t have the treatment or rehabilitation services they have today. I knew I had higher than average risk, so I’ve tried to live a healthy lifestyle.”
A stroke can occur at any age, but becomes increasingly likely with advancing age. A family history of stroke, like David’s, also increases the risk. African-Americans are particularly vulnerable. Strokes are not only more common but more likely to be fatal and likely to occur at an earlier age in a person of African American descent.
Managing Your Risks
If you have an above average risk, you should be vigilant about early signs. But the major risk factors for stroke are lifestyle matters that everyone should try to control.
Hypertension, which affects more than half of American adults, is the number one risk factor.
If you don’t know your blood pressure, you should. If you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and you’re ignoring your treatment because you feel no symptoms, you’re at very high risk.
Smoking. Nicotine increases blood pressure and other substances in tobacco damage blood vessels and reduce the amount of oxygen the blood can carry to the brain. Smoking also makes the blood thicker and more likely to clot.
Quitting at any age reduces your risk of stroke as well as heart disease, cancer and chronic breathing disorders.
Cholesterol. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood endanger the brain as well as the heart, and for the same reasons. When the carotid arteries carrying blood through the neck to the brain become diseased with a buildup of fatty deposits, the risk of stroke increases.
In addition to diet, exercise, medications and other measures to lower cholesterol, most persons with a risk of stroke or heart disease are advised to take a small dose of daily aspirin or other medications to help prevent the formation of clots.
Atrial Fibrillation is a rhythm disturbance that increases the risk of blood clots. Persons with atrial fibrillation should get treatment.
Diabetes increases a person’s risk of both stroke and heart disease. If you have diabetes, it’s important to control your blood sugar and take steps to prevent and treat complications, particularly those involving blood vessels. When a stroke does occur, it is usually less severe if blood sugar is under control.
TIAs. Transient ischemic attacks or TIAs are mini strokes. The patient experiences one or more stroke symptoms such as loss of sight in one eye or numbness or weakness on one side of the body, but the symptoms pass within a few minutes.
It’s tempting but unwise to deny these symptoms and pretend nothing happened. At least a third of persons suffering a TIA will have a full-blown stroke at some time in the future, with one half of strokes occurring within the next two days.
The symptoms of David’s stroke came on gradually — over a 24-hour period — where he experienced weakness while exercising and mumbling at work.
Although David and his wife Brenda thought the symptoms were unusual enough to visit David’s doctor the evening before his stroke became apparent; the signs can be so sneaky that people often misread them. That’s why emergency medical attention is so important.
“My stroke was probably inevitable,” explains David. “After my stroke, my doctors told me that I had a genetic factor which put me at higher risk than even I thought.
“Although all my healthy lifestyle choices, which included eating right, getting exercise four to five times a week, training in Karate; and maintaining regular checkups with my doctor didn’t prevent my stroke,” explains David, “all of my health care professionals expressed that it was because of these preventive measures that my recovery has been so successful.”
David has been back to work since early October 2007; and continues to maintain exercise, eating right and good lifestyle choices. “Throughout my treatment, I lost 15 additional pounds,” explains David, “and I plan to keep them off.”
Although a stroke is often a bolt from the blue that seems to unfairly single out victims, it’s important to remember that quick and decisive emergency treatment is very important with the onset of the symptoms of a stroke.
David received his treatment within the three-hour window that proves most effective in both survival and recovery. Choosing a medical facility, like Mercy Hospital, that provides the most advanced treatment is also the key.
“I’m proof positive that even if you work to prevent a stroke, one can happen,” concludes David. “Many people, ask why me? I’ve thought, why not me? It seems that it was divine intervention that provided me access to Mercy Hospital and the Michigan Stroke Network. It saved my life. Even when you take preventive measures, it’s often God and your faith that provide you with what you need the most.”
For more information regarding Mercy Hospital Emergency Services and its link with the Michigan Stroke Network, visit the Emergency Services section of this website.
Talk to your doctor today about stroke prevention that’s right for you.
|
