| National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke | |
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Get Web page suited for printing If you're like most Americans, you plan for your future. When you take a job, you
examine its benefit plan. When you buy a home, you consider its location and condition so
that your investment is safe. Today, more and more Americans are protecting their most
important asset--their health. Are you? Stroke ranks as the third leading killer in the United States. A stroke can be
devastating to individuals and their families, robbing them of their independence. It is
the most common cause of adult disability. Each year more than 500,000 Americans have a
stroke, with about 145,000 dying from stroke-related causes. Officials at the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) are committed to reducing that
burden through biomedical research. Return to Prevention Menu A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when blood circulation to the brain
fails. Brain cells can die from decreased blood flow and the resulting lack of oxygen.
There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blockage of blood flow and
those caused by bleeding. While not usually fatal, a blockage of a blood vessel
in the brain or neck, called an ischemic stroke, is the most frequent cause of stroke and
is responsible for about 80 percent of strokes. These blockages stem from three
conditions: the formation of a clot within a blood vessel of the brain or neck, called
thrombosis; the movement of a clot from another part of the body such as the heart to the
neck or brain, called embolism; or a severe narrowing of an artery in or leading to the
brain, called stenosis. Bleeding into the brain or the spaces surrounding
the brain causes the second type of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke. Two key steps you can take will lower your risk of death or disability from stroke:
know stroke's warning signs and control stroke's risk factors. Scientific research
conducted by the NINDS has identified warning signs and a large number of risk factors. Return to Prevention Menu Warning signs are clues your body sends that your brain is not receiving enough oxygen.
If you observe one or more of these signs of a stroke or "brain attack," don't
wait, call a doctor or 911 right away!
Other danger signs that may occur include double vision, drowsiness, and nausea or
vomiting. Sometimes the warning signs may last only a few moments and then disappear.
These brief episodes, known as transient ischemic attacks or TIAs, are sometimes called
"mini-strokes." Although brief, they identify an underlying serious condition
that isn't going away without medical help. Unfortunately, since they clear up, many
people ignore them. Don't. Heeding them can save your life. Return to Prevention Menu A risk factor is a condition or behavior that occurs more frequently in those who have,
or are at greater risk of getting, a disease than in those who don't. Having a risk factor
for stroke doesn't mean you'll have a stroke. On the other hand, not having a risk factor
doesn't mean you'll avoid a stroke. But your risk of stroke grows as the number and
severity of risk factors increases. Stroke occurs in all age groups, in both sexes, and in all races in every country. It
can even occur before birth, when the fetus is still in the womb. In African-Americans,
the death rate from stroke is almost twice that of the white population. Scientists have
found more and more severe risk factors in some minority groups and continue to look for
patterns of stroke in these groups. Return to Prevention Menu Some of the most important treatable risk factors for stroke are:
Return to Prevention Menu Some of the most important risk factors for stroke can be determined during a physical
exam at your doctor's office. If you are over 55 years old, a worksheet in a pamphlet
available from the NINDS can help you estimate your risk of stroke and show the benefit of
risk-factor control. The worksheet was developed from NINDS-supported work in the well-known Framingham
Study. Working with your doctor, you can develop a strategy to lower your risk to average
or even below average for your age. Many risk factors for stroke can be managed, some very successfully. Although risk is
never zero at any age, by starting early and controlling your risk factors you can lower
your risk of death or disability from stroke. With good control, the risk of stroke in
most age groups can be kept below that for accidental injury or death. To obtain a copy of the worksheet, write or telephone requesting the pamphlet Brain
Basics: Preventing Stroke from the NINDS Brain Resources and Information Network (BRAIN) at: BRAIN Americans have shown that stroke is preventable and treatable. A better understanding
of the causes of stroke has helped Americans make lifestyle changes that have cut the
stroke death rate nearly in half in the last two decades. More than a million stroke survivors suffer little or no long-lasting disability from
their strokes. Another two million, however, live with the crippling and lifelong
disabilities of paralysis, loss of speech, and poor memory. Scientists at the NINDS
predict that, with continued attention to reducing the risks of stroke and by using
currently available therapies and developing new ones, Americans should be able to prevent
80 percent of all strokes by the end of the decade. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Reviewed July 1, 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
