Common Questions about Stroke
What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain is interrupted
by a clogged artery or damaged artery that is leaking blood into the brain.
What is an ischemic stroke?
An ischemic stroke occurs when arteries to the brain are clogged with
blood clots or fatty deposits.
What is a hemorrhagic stroke?
A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery wall breaks, and blood
spills into the brain.
Why is stroke a serious health issue in America?
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in this country, behind
heart disease and cancer. It affects four out of five families; is a major
cause of adult disability, and it is the second leading cause of dementia.
How many people suffer from stroke?
More than 750,000 people a year suffer a new or recurrent stroke.
How many die from stroke?
Stroke kills 160,000 people every year; every three minutes someone
dies of a stroke.
Does stroke affect only older adults?
No. Strokes can happen to anyone at any age, not just the elderly—in fact,
more than 30 percent of those who suffer strokes are under the age of
65.
How does someone know if she or he is at risk?
Stroke risk is determined by several medical conditions and lifestyle
factors. High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation
(a form of irregular heartbeat), can increase the risk for stroke; and
lifestyle factors, such as diet, physical activity, weight, and smoking
also impact the odds of having a stroke.
Is stroke preventable?
Many strokes are preventable. It’s been estimated that if we could effectively
use our current knowledge of stroke, we could prevent as many as three
out of four strokes from occurring in the first place.
Why should women pay attention to the issue of stroke?
Each year, stroke kills more than twice as many American women as
breast cancer. Women account for 43 percent of the strokes that occur
each year, and 61 percent of stroke deaths. Approximately 100,000 young
and middle-aged women will have a stroke this year.
In particular, why should African-Americans pay attention to the issue
of stroke?
African-Americans have significantly higher stroke occurrence and
death rates than Caucasians. Not only are African-Americans twice as likely
as Caucasians to have a stroke, they are also twice as likely to die from
a stroke.
Which is likely to be disabling, heart attack or stroke?
Compared with heart attack, a stroke is more likely to be disabling;
40 percent experience moderate to severe impairments requiring special
care. Strokes can impair or completely take away the abilities to think,
walk, talk, remember, or even breathe.
What is the likelihood of complete recovery from a stroke?
Only 10 percent of stroke survivors recover completely; and 14 percent
experience a second stroke the first year; approximately one-third of
all stroke survivors will have another stroke within five years.
What is key to treating a stroke?
The treatment for stroke is extremely time dependent. A significant
number of strokes are of treatable origin if the patient is identified
early in the event and brought in for treatment quickly to a stroke center.
For example, in acute stroke treatment, the administration of a clot-busting
medication must be accomplished within three hours of symptom onset. (In
Colorado, this happens only about one percent of the time, less than the
national rate of two to three percent.)
|
