Recognizing Signs Of A Stroke Could Save Life

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Friday, May 29th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Diagnosing and Treating A Stroke

If you or someone you know is having a stroke, a quick diagnosis and treatment might be the difference between life or death or permanent paralysis if the stroke victim survives. So it is essential that you know the signs of a stroke.If you can get the stroke victim to the hospital within three hours of the attack, the odds are good that the victim will not only survive but have a complete recovery.

First, some facts about strokes and who is mmost likely to suffer one.At least one person dies each minute from a stroke in the U.S. Nearly 775,000 persons have strokes in the U.S. each year. A third of them die and another third suffer permanent paralysis,speech loss,and/or memory loss.

Strokes can be caused by any one of several factors, but basically the immediate cause is a blockage of blood to the brain by plaque build up in the carotid artery or by a piece of plaque breaking free and blocking blood to the brain.

Persons Who Are At Risk

Risk factors for having a stroke are
1) Hereditary–If a person comes from a family where other members have suffered strokes.
2) Gender–Women are more likely to have a stroke than men.
3) Age–The chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55.The incidence of stroke is higher among persons over 65, but younger people have them,too.
4) Race–African Americans are more likely to have one than are Caucasians.
5) Medical History–Sickle cell anemia. Sickled red blood cells carry less oxygen to the rest of the body. They also can stick to the walls of the blood vessels, which can block arteries to the brain, causing a stroke.
Also, persons who have already had a stroke before or a TIA, a mini-stroke with no permanent damage,are much more likely to have another stroke.

Symptoms of A Stroke

A simple four-question quiz will tell you if someone you’re with is having a stroke

1.) Ask the individual to SMILE. If he’s having a stroke, he won’t be able to smile normally–his smile wille be distorted.
2.) Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)(i.e. Ann is a great homemaker. A stroke victim will not be able to do this easily.
3.See if the victim can Raise Both Arms. He’ll just be able to raise one.
4.Ask the person to stick out his or her tongue. If the person can’t stick his tongue out straight, then it’s likely a stroke is the cause.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Another symptom of a TIA or “mini stroke” is a feeling that one of your legs or arms is heavier than the other and walking or climbing up the stairs becomes difficult.The victim might fall as he climbs the stairs because one leg just didn’t clear the stair all the way, resulting in tripping. A victim is likely to lose his balance if he gets up out of a chair quickly and might fall down and have difficulty getting up.

If you or the person you’re with are exhibiting these symptoms, get to a hospital immediately and tell them you think you you or the person you’re with is having a stroke.You’ll immediately be taken into the medical ward and be given tests to determine if it is a stroke and immediate treatment if it is. And you dodged a bullet today! You’ll likely survive and escape any permanent damage.

If you have this experience and everything works out ok, remember that this is a warning and lifestyle changes are mandatory to keep another, more serious stroke from happening again.

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