POTSDAM – There is often some confusion between a heart attack and stroke. While a heart attack is truly associated with the heart, a stroke is associated with the brain; what may be referred to as a brain attack.
May is Stroke Awareness Month, and St. Lawrence Health Clinical Stroke Coordinator Ava Hudson, NP, explained thrombosis of a coronary artery is a heart attack, and thrombosis of a head or neck artery is a brain attack. She said 85-87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes (thrombosis in the brain) and 13-15% are bleeding or hemorrhage of a brain vessel.
“Stroke onset varies widely among ethnicities and for males and females. The average age for stroke onset for Americans is 71.4 years for males, and 76.9 years for females. About 38% of all strokes occur in individuals 65 years or younger, and 62% for those over 65. Keep in mind that African Americans, Hispanic American, and Native Americans may be affected at an even younger age,” Hudson said.
While strokes are not hereditary, there are risk factors that may be genetic, such as high cholesterol, a tendency toward type 2 diabetes, or hypertension. Non-familial factors include atrial fibrillation, obesity, and smoking.
If you think you or someone is having a stroke, think of the term BE-FAST to assess the symptoms.
B – Balance problems, weakness or unsteady walking, dizziness
E – (Eye) problems with vision, double vision, blindness, partial vision
F – Facial drooping
A – Arm or leg weakness, numbness, tingling
S – Speech problems, cannot speak, confusion, difficulty finding words
T – Time to call EMS (Emergency Medical Service)
“Time truly is of the essence as a stroke is treatable, but the treatment window for seeking medical care is very narrow. We are looking at 3.5 to 4.5 hours from the onset of stroke symptoms for an ischemic stroke. With this type of stroke, the goal is to break up the clot and restore blood flow to the affected area of the brain. The sooner the clot is broken up, the less…
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