Basic HTML Version
TREATING STROKE—
START TO FINISH
A
Ischemic
Hemorrhagic
stroke is somewhat like a high-
speed car crash. It happens fast and o en
without warning, and it can cause lasting
damage.
But while serious highway acci-
dents are typically loud and unmistakable,
a stroke can be a quiet calamity—unless
someone is paying close attention, it can go
unnoticed for a very long time.
e dam-
age, though, can be devastating.
During a
stroke, blood ow to the brain is disrupted
by either a blocked or burst blood vessel. Even
a few minutes without oxygen-rich blood causes brain cells to die.
“Time is brain,” says Mark J.
Alberts, MD, a professor of neurology at Northwestern University and spokesman for the American
Stroke Association. “Every minute that someone waits to get stroke treatment, he or she loses about
million neurons [nerve cells].”
As neurons are damaged or die, the parts of the body controlled by
those brain cells are a ected. Without fast action, brain damage, long-term disability or even death
can occur.
In fact, stroke is the leading cause of signi cant disability and the fourth leading cause
of death in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association.
What follows is a guide to the
key points you need to know about recognizing and treating a stroke and recovering from one.
1
WARNING SIGNS
With stroke,
speed is vital. If you or someone
near you is having a stroke, call
right away for emergency
medical help. It’s typically the
fastest, safest way to get to the hospital.
“We need to treat these patients as
rapidly as possible,” Dr. Alberts says. “ e
sooner they call
and the sooner they
get into the medical system, the better the
chances will be that they’ll have a good
recovery.”
Unfortunately, that doesn’t always hap-
pen. In fact, many strokes go undiagnosed
for hours, even days.
But by knowing, recognizing and acting
on the signs and symptoms of a stroke, you
can signi cantly reduce the damage one
can cause. According to the National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute, those signs and
symptoms o en include:
Weakness.
Numbness or an inability to move
arms, legs or facial muscles, especially on
one side of the body.
Confusion.
Trouble speaking or understanding
speech.
Vision problems in one or both eyes.
is can include double vision, blurred
vision or partial blindness.
Trouble breathing.
Trouble walking. is may include diz-
ziness, loss of balance or coordination, or
unexplained falls.
Loss of consciousness.
Severe headache with no known cause.
While some stroke signs are the same as
those for other illnesses, stroke symptoms
are o en distinct in that they typically
come on suddenly. Not everyone will have
each symptom. But even a single one can
F
E A T U R E
4
F A L L 2 0 1 2
T H E
S A M A R I T A N