Stroke: Hope, Help, Prevention


StrokeAccording to recent statistics, every 40 seconds someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke. Perhaps surprisingly, more women than men will have a stroke this year—and fully one quarter of stroke victims will be under the age of 65.

 

But there's good news, too. The incidence of stroke is actually declining among developed countries, due in large part to faster response times by medical personnel and advances in stroke therapies.

 

What Happens During a Stroke?
When the flow of blood to the brain is interrupted, the event is termed a “stroke.” Most often, this is caused by one of two events: a blockage in one or more arteries (called ischemic stroke), or bleeding in the area of the brain due to the bursting of a blood vessel (known as hemmorhagic stroke).

 

Another category of stroke, known as a mini-stroke or transient ischemic attack, is classified by symptoms lasting a relatively short time (usually under one hour).

Some strokes are fatal. But other times, the victim may be anywhere from minimally and temporarily affected, to severely incapacitated in a number of body and/or brain functions. Symptoms of an attack may include numbness of the arms, legs or face (particularly if the numbness is felt on only one side); mental confusion; sudden lack of coordination and a severe and sudden headache. (Look here for a complete explanation of stroke warning signs.)

 

How one's body heals following a stroke depends upon a number of factors. The area of the brain and amount of tissue that are damaged partly determines how severely the victim will be affected. Another determining factor, scientists are finding in recent studies, is how quickly medical attention is given to the sufferer.

 

There is Good News
As frightening as the thought of having a stroke is, there's plenty of good news, according to medical experts. Though stroke remains the third largest cause of death in the U.S., its numbers are dwindling. Stroke events as a whole fell 13.5% in the U.S. between 1995 and 2005, studies say, and deaths within that category went down close to 30%...an amazing (and heartening) number.

 

Such incidents are less common in other developed countries, as well, including Canada, whose death rates due to cererbrovascular disease fell a whopping 69% during the same time period.

 

Faster Response Time Means Better Outcomes
Unfortunately, among survivors, many are left permanently disabled. But even that's beginning to change, medical experts say.

 

Luckily for stroke sufferers, more and more stroke centers are opening up and more patients are being transported immediately to them. This is in support of studies that show how fast a stroke victim is treated can impact how completely he or she recovers.

 

Los Angeles, CA, for instance, under the tagline “Time is Brain,” offers immediate transport to stroke centers in many cases.

 

And in Sydney, Australia, new studies break down the various effects of stroke and how a fast response time can help minimize them.

 

Novel Therapies Could Offer New Hope
Meanwhile, fascinating new therapies are offering hope to victims of this frightening event.

 

Amazingly, in Asia, a video game—made for the very popular Wii system—could prove one of the most novel physical and coordination therapies to date, according to reports. Four University of Singapore students developed the game, which includes fun virtual actions such as barbecuing on a grill and throwing an object. It could be ready for release in at least one Asian hospital as early as next year and may herald a new way to look at stroke therapies worldwide.

 

On the medical therapies front, research is going full-throttle at Gainesville, FL's Brain Rehabilitation Center for Excellence on regrowing neurons. The fact that brain cells die during a stroke has long been the frustrating (and, to an extent, impassible) obstacle to true rehabilitation. But these studies may reveal ways to actually “regrow” cells in affected areas, researchers say. Amazingly, one of the drugs being tested along these lines is Viagra.

 

Yet other studies seek natural ways to encourage stroke rehabilitation or to prevent the incident altogether. For example, the sun may no longer be the “bad guy” consumers have come to believe it is, according to the Times of India, which reported on Vitamin D and its importance in stroke prevention.And treating common pathogens may offer a new way to prevent stroke, too—this based on a study published by the Archives of Neurology showing that five common infections may lead to stroke.

 

There are other ways to decrease your chances of having a stroke, too. Click on the links below for more information on what stroke is, what it does and how you may be able to better your odds of staying healthy in the future.

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