Date: Fri 23-Apr-1999

Publication: Hea

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

stroke-screenings

Full Text:

Brain Attack Alert! To Provide Free Stroke Screening

Every 53 seconds, someone in the United States experiences a stroke. Every 3.3

minutes, someone dies of one. Stroke is the third leading cause of death

behind diseases of the heart and cancer, and is a leading cause of serious

long-term disability. About 4.4 million Americans are now living with the

effects of stroke.

Stroke is not solely a disease of the elderly. According to the National

Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, 28 percent of people

who suffer a stroke in a given year are under the age of 65.

May is Stroke Awareness Month. In observance, the American Heart Association

is sponsoring the Brain Attack Alert! Program from May 15 through May 23

through Connecticut. The American Heart Association will partner with 40

hospitals and other sites throughout the state to offer a free stroke or

"brain attack" screening program to the public.

Last year, 713 persons who participated in the screening program were

instructed to visit an emergency room or see a doctor because of elevated

blood pressure readings, rapid or irregular pulse rates, and significant

blockages in carotid arteries.

Almost half of those screened were told they had an elevated blood pressure

reading. The chance of having a stroke is six times greater for people with

high blood pressure.

"I think this finding is extremely important and reflects a serious problem in

America," said Dr Lawrence M. Brass, professor of neurology and epidemiology &

public health, co-director of Yale Cerebrovascular center at the Yale

University School of Medicine, and a member of the AHA Stroke Task Force.

"It tells us that nearly 50 percent of the people screened had been walking

around with undiagnosed hypertension," Dr Brass said. "This is serious.

Hypertension is a silent killer and people need to have it checked regularly."

In a recent poll by the AHA, only five percent of those surveyed identified

stroke as a major killer of Americans. It is estimated that 80 percent of

stroke could be prevented if those at risk were identified and treated in

time. "This is an alarming lack of knowledge as the incidence of stroke

continues to grow," said Dr Brass. "This stroke assessment program must serve

as a wake-up call to the public. People are walking around with treatable risk

factors for stroke and they don't even know it."

The list of locations where the free stroke assessments will take place will

be available beginning in May by calling the American Heart Association at

888/988-2179.

The Warning Signs

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel bringing oxygen and nutrients to the brain

bursts or is clogged by a blood clot or some other particle. Nerve cells in

the affected area of the brain are deprived of oxygen and begin to die within

minutes. The death of nerve cells can lead to dysfunction of the rest of the

body because the brain can no longer control certain functions.

The warning signs and symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness

of face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion,

trouble speaking, or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes;

sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, and

sudden, severe headaches with no known cause.

When someone shows one or more of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Those

who get to a hospital within three hours of having a stroke have treatment

options that may reverse or halt the effects of the stroke.

About 10 percent of the strokes are preceded by "little strokes," or transient

ischemic attacks (TIAs). A person who has had one or more TIAs is almost 10

times more likely to have a stroke.

More than 75 percent of TIAs last less than five minutes. The TIA symptoms and

stroke symptoms are similar and should be treated with the same urgency. TIAs

are more useful for predicting if a stroke will occur rather than when one

will happen. They can occur days, weeks or even months before a major stroke.