|
Straight
Track #66 Stroke
Hoey & Farina
1-888-425-1212
As
mentioned last week, we ran across several articles in the BMWE
Journal (April 2001, Pg. 3) that
we thought our railroad friends and their families might benefit from reading.
The following is the second of a three part health-related series of the Straight Track newsletter.
Every
53 seconds, someone in America has a stroke.
About 600,000 Americans will have a stroke this year - and 160,000 of
them will die. In facts, stroke is
our nation's No. 3 killer and one of the leading causes of disability.
The
American Heart Association spends more on stroke-related research and
stroke-related programs than any other non-profit organization, second only to
the federal government. In November
1998 the AHA made the decision to rename its Stroke Division.
It is now the American Stroke Association - a division of the AHA.
What
is a stroke?
A stroke is a
cardiovascular disease that affects the blood vessels supplying blood to the
brain.
What
causes a stoke?
A
stroke occurs when a blood vessel brings oxygen and nutrients to the brain
bursts or is clogged by a blood clot or some other particle.
Because of this rupture or blockage, part of the brain doesn't get the
blood flow it needs.
Deprived
of oxygen, nerve cells in the affected area of the brain can't function and die
within minutes. And when nerve
cells can't function, the part of the body controlled by these cells can't
function either. The devastating
effects of stroke are often permanent because dead brain cells aren't replaced.
There
are four main types of stroke: two
caused by blood clots or other particles and two by bleeding or hemorrhage. Cerebral thrombosis or cerebral embolism, are by far the most
common, accounting for about 70-80 percent of all strokes. They're caused by clots or particles that plug an artery
bringing blood to part of the brain.
Cerebral
and subarachnoid hemorrhages are caused by ruptured blood vessels. They have a much higher fatality rate than strokes caused by
clots.
One
identifying feature of cerebral thrombosis is that they often occur at night or
first thing in the morning, when blood pressure is low.
Another is that very often they're preceded by a transient ischemic
attack, also called a TIA or "mini-stroke."
In
a recent New York Times article - Absence of Urgency:
A deadly Problem When Strokes Occur - it was reported that there is a
three hour window after a patient begins to have symptoms in which TPA, a tissue
plasminogen activator which breaks up blood clots and the first drug to win (in
1996) approval from the Food and Drug Administration for treating ischemic
stroke, is safe and effective. After
three hours, there is a risk of brain hemorrhage.
Unfortunately,
some people delay going to the hospital, said the Times,
by mistakenly calling their primary care doctors first and by waiting for the
call back. Others do not bother to
call 911; rather, they have a family member drive them to the hospital.
But studies show that stroke patients who travel to the hospital by
ambulance arrive sooner and are treated faster than those who travel by personal
car.
The American Stroke Association says these are the warning signs of a stroke:
-
Sudden numbness or weakness of the 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 or balance or coordination.
-
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
[top]
|
