5-16-06

Stroke

Each year about 700,000 people in the U. S. have a stroke and every three minutes someone dies of stroke. But it can be prevented if treated promptly.

Stroke is our nation’s number three killer and a leading cause of long-term disability. A stroke is damage to the brain, caused by either a blood clot or bleeding in the brain, says Dr. Joni Clark, assistant professor of neurology at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield. She describes the symptoms of stroke:

SOUND BITE: ". . . weakness on one side of the body, being face, arm and leg. Could have associated numbness on one side of the body. There could be visual symptoms that you lose vision in one eye or half the vision in both eyes. Other symptoms could be trouble with your balance and difficulty walking. And the other significant symptoms would be trouble with your speech such as slurred speech or trouble getting your words out."

Stroke is more common in elderly people, but younger people can also have strokes. People who have risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are more likely to experience a stroke. Individuals who are obese and who smoke cigarettes are also at higher risk for stroke. Dr. Clark explains the treatment for stroke.

SOUND BITE: " . . . we have one treatment which is a clot buster called TPA that we can use for certain patients and the problem with the use of the drug is that we only have three hours to treat somebody, so from the time they develop their symptoms to the time they get to the ER and they are evaluated, we only have 3 hours . . ."

Anyone who develops stroke symptoms needs to call 911 or go to the emergency room immediately. Also, individuals should work with their physician to manage risk factors . . . including making it a priority to stop smoking.

This is Ruth Slottag at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield.