Although anyone is a potential target, the typical patient is male, older than 55, or has a family or individual history of the disease. Blacks are impacted disproportionately by stroke and are twice as likely as whites to be afflicted. Minorities are also targets at a younger age. In Massachusetts, roughly one-third of the deaths from strokes in blacks and Hispanics occur before the age of 64, compared to only 8 percent in whites, as noted in Massachusetts Deaths 2010, a report published by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. While stroke has fallen to the fourth most common cause of death for most in this country, it still remains the third leading cause of death among blacks. So common is this condition that a swath of Southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee) with large black populations is aptly called the “stroke belt.” It is the stroke belt that intrigued researchers at Ohio University’s School of Public Health Sciences and Professions. They conducted a survey of African American residents of Mississippi aged 18 to 74 to determine their awareness of stroke, including symptoms and risk factors. Only one-fourth of those surveyed could correctly identify the five warning signs. Worse news is that 17 percent could not identify any. Even worse, the respondents were unaware of the risk factors that can precipitate stroke. While most cited high cholesterol and smoking as factors, more than half failed to recognize lack of physical activity, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes as causes. Decreased awareness is not confined to the stroke belt. Several years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored a study in 13 states and the District of Columbia to examine people’s awareness of the warning signs of strokes and the importance of seeking emergency care. The CDC found that awareness varied by race, gender and educational status. Whites, females and more educated people were more likely to be aware of warning signs and more likely to call 911. But overall, the results of the study were not good. Not even half of those interviewed could name the five major warning signs of stroke. Only 60 percent cited the headache as a warning of stroke. More puzzling is that 40 percent of the respondents incorrectly identified sudden chest pain as a symptom. Chest pain is attributed to a heart attack, not a stroke.
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SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS Almost 2 million brain cells die each minute a stroke goes untreated. It is important to recognize the signs of a stroke in order to seek immediate emergency care. If your stroke is caused by a clot, you may benefit from a medication that breaks up the clot and reduces the long-term disability associated with stroke. But you have only three hours from the onset of your symptoms to receive the clot-buster.
CALL 911 SHOULD YOU EXPERIENCE:
Sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body. Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech. For instance, slurred speech or speaking gibberish. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. Some people become blind in one half of their visual field. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination Sudden, severe or unusual headache with no known cause
You don’t need to experience all the symptoms to suspect a stroke. Any one symptom can be an indicator of a stroke Call 911. Source: American Stroke Association
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