Diagnosing and Treating A Stroke

If you or someone you know is having a stroke, a quick diagnosis and treatment might be the difference between life or death or permanent paralysis if the stroke victim survives. So it is essential that you know the signs of a stroke.If you can get the stroke victim to the hospital within three hours of the attack, the prognosis for full recovery is optimistic.

First, some facts about strokes and who is mmost likely to suffer one.Every minute, someone in the United States has a stroke. Nearly 775,000 persons have strokes in the U.S. each year. A third of them die and another third suffer permanent paralysis,speech loss,and/or memory loss.

Strokes are caused by plaque build up in the arteries or by a plaque fragment that breaks free and lodges in the brain, shutting off the blood supply.

Who’s At Risk

Persons who are at risk for stroke are:
1) Hereditary–If a person comes from a family where other members have suffered strokes.
2) Gender–Women are more likely to have a stroke than men.
3) Age–The chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55.Stroke is more common among persons over 65, but it also hits younger persons as well.
4) Race–African Americans are more likely to have one than are Caucasians.
5) Medical History–Sickle cell anemia. Sickled red blood cells are unable to carry as much oxygen to the rest of the body. They also can stick to the walls of the blood vessels, which can block arteries to the brain, causing a stroke.
Also, persons who have already had a stroke before or a TIA, a mini-stroke with no permanent damage,are much more likely to have another stroke.

Stroke Symptoms

You can tell if someone you’re with is having a stroke by asking them four simple questions

1.) Ask the individual to SMILE. If he’s having a stroke, his smile will be crooked.
2.) Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)(i.e. Tom is a terrific teenager. Stroke victims will not be able to do this.
3.See if the person can raise both arms over his head. He’ll only be able to raise one.
4.Ask the person to stick out his or her tongue. If the victim’s tongue looks crooked or doesn’t stick out straight, the odds are that a stroke has happened to him.
If any of these tasks were a prblem to complete, it’s time to get to the hospital immediately. Start with 911 and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Another sign that you’ve had a TIA, or mini-stroke, is a heaviness in your leg or legs that makes it unusually difficult to walk or climb the stairs.The victim might trip when climbing the stairs because one leg didn’t clear a stair. A victim is likely to lose his balance if he gets up out of a chair quickly and might fall down and have difficulty getting up.

If you or the person you’re with has these signs, get to a hospital immediately as it’s a matter of life and death.You’ll immediately be taken into the medical ward and be given tests to determine if it is a stroke and immediate treatment if it is. And this was your lucky day! The odds are that you’ve survived and haven’t had any permanent damage to your brain.

If you have this experience and everything works out ok, remember that this is a warning and lifestyle changes are mandatory to keep another, more serious stroke from happening again.