Stopping Strokes
You haven’t been feeling well for a while. One side of your face is drooping. You slur your words. You have to sit down because your balance is off. You could be having a stroke.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or significantly reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients, and causing brain cells to die.
Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. About 185,000 strokes, nearly 1 in 4, are in people who have had a previous stroke. About 87 percent of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.
A stroke has many common causes. A frequent cause is narrowing of the arteries in the neck, the carotid arteries, that carry blood to the brain. This narrowing is due to fatty deposits in those arteries. A tear or injury in the wall of a blood vessel, certain heart conditions and blood clotting disorders also can result in strokes, particularly for younger people. If any of these conditions are identified, treatment and prevention should be targeted to that particular condition.
Symptoms of a stroke may include problems seeing in one or both eyes, paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg, trouble speaking and understanding what others are saying, trouble walking and headache. When assessing whether or not, a person has had a stroke, use the acronym BE FAST:
B-Balance: Do they have sudden difficulty with balance?
E-Eyes: Do they have sudden difficulty seeing or double vision?
F-Face: Does their face droop to one side when the person smiles?
A-Arm: After raising both arms, does one of those arms drift downward?
S-Speech: After repeating a simple phrase, does the person’s speech sound slurred or strange?
T-Time: If any of the above are observed, call 911, and ask for medical assistance immediately.
The first few minutes of a stroke are extremely important as almost 2 million brain cells are lost every minute once a stroke begins.
Some risk factors that may lead to stroke are:
High blood pressure-This is the leading cause of strokes. Much research attributes a decline in stroke-related deaths to the successful treatment of high blood pressure. There are no symptoms with high blood pressure, so it’s important to get yours tested regularly. If you do have high blood pressure, it can be treated with diet and exercise along with medication.
High cholesterol-Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made by the liver and found in certain foods. Taking in too much cholesterol than the body can use causes the cholesterol to build up in the arteries, including those in the brain, which can lead to stroke. Your cholesterol can be maintained by adhering to a proper diet.
Diabetes-If you have diabetes, keep your blood sugar under control. Diabetes can cause sugars to build up in the blood and prevent oxygen from getting to various parts of the body, even your brain.
Obesity-This is linked to higher “bad” cholesterol and triglyceride levels and to lower “good” cholesterol levels. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes, both of which can lead to stroke. Proper diet, exercise and medical intervention can help lower your weight and remove you further from the stroke risk zone.
Smoking and vaping-Nicotine and carbon monoxide, found in cigarette smoke as well as vape smoke, damage the cardiovascular system, making the possibility of stroke far greater. Consider stopping smoking or vaping to lower your risk of stroke.
Various heart diseases and conditions-People who have conditions like coronary heart disease, heart failure, congenital heart defects and atrial fibrillation (Afib) are exponentially more likely to have a stroke. Meeting with your cardiologist regularly to keep these conditions under control will help reduce your risk of stroke.
A diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in cholesterol and saturated fat, can reduce your stroke risk, as well as help you to maintain a healthy weight. Moderate exercise of 30 minutes most days is also critical to keeping strokes at bay.
Depending on your medical history, preventative medications also can be appropriate. Anti-platelet drugs, such as aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix), can make your blood less likely to form clots. Anticoagulant medication, such as heparin or warfarin, can help prevent strokes if you have certain heart problems or a blood clotting disorder.
The bottom line is that you can take steps to reduce your risk of stroke. But the specific measures that are right for you depend on your medical history. Talk to your physician about the stroke prevention approach that best fits your situation.
