Stroke

Is It a Stroke? Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to
identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness often spells disaster for the victim.

The stroke victim may suffer unnecessary brain damage when people nearby fail
to recognize the symptoms of a stroke, and render appropriate treatment.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

While you wait for the ambulance, you can pack the neck and throat of the victim in ice. (this tip comes from Dr. James F. Mezen, now deceased. I have used this technique with remarkable positive results)

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions.

They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February.(2004)

Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevention of brain damage.

Also known as a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), a stroke is a life-threatening event in which part of the brain is deprived of adequate oxygen. Strokes are extremely dangerous, accounting for more than 160,000 deaths in 2001, according to the American Heart Association. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. It is also a leading cause of adult disability and institutionalization. Each year, about 700,000 people suffer strokes. Of those, 500,000 are first-time strokes, and 200,000 are recurrent.

There are two kinds of strokes. An ischemic stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, usually by a blood clot. These clots may be caused by “hardening of the arteries” in the carotid arteries, which feed the head and brain with oxygen-rich blood. The second kind of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when there is bleeding into or around the brain. After a stroke begins, it is imperative that people seek treatment as soon as possible to reestablish the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain cells before permanent tissue damage or death occurs. Medical personnel must act quickly to maintain the patient’s breathing, reduce fever (if present), run tests to determine the cause of the stroke, administer appropriate medications and perform any necessary procedures while racing against the clock to re-establish blood flow to the brain.