Health professionals encourage residents to learn about strokes

News Editor

With a person dying every 40 seconds from a stroke in the United States, health care professionals are encouraging residents to take the time to learn the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

Next month is national stroke awareness month and members of East Adams Rural Hospital (EARH) are promoting education about the signs of a stroke in hopes of reducing the number of cases of stroke deaths. Stroke is a disease affecting arteries connected to the brain, and is the fourth largest cause of death in the U.S., as well as the leading cause of serious disabilities.

Chief Nursing Officer Brenda Herr explained many patients at EARH are individuals either suffering from a stroke or people who are unaware that they have had a stroke. Herr stressed the importance of individuals going to a hospital as soon as something does not feel right because of the lasting negative effects strokes can have on a body.

“We need to get education out there and get these people into a hospital in a timely manner,” Herr said about patients who suffer from strokes and do not go to a hospital immediately.

Herr explained the longer an individual takes getting treatment, the more likely they are to suffer permanent muscle loss. Strokes can create partial paralysis of the body, can cause vision problems, memory loss and can impede speech.

The lasting effects of a stroke are not worth the risk, Herr said, and it is why she is advocating local residents to take the time to learn more about strokes. The “FAST” model creates an easy way for people to remember the signs of a stroke.

FAST relates to face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty and time to call 9-1-1, Herr explained, and it is critical for patients to remember when they began to feel the effects in any of these regions. Other common symptoms of a stroke can include sudden numbness in a leg, confusion, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, dizziness or loss of balance, and a severe headache.

“If you’re at home and you don’t feel right: get to the hospital,” Herr stated. “We have to know the time of onset for tPA and time is of the essence.”

The tPA is a drug which helps dissolve clots in the patient and reduces the chance of permanent damage, but it must be administered within three hours of the onset of the symptoms. Because of the time limitations, Herr explained it is essential for individuals to contact the hospital as soon as possible and accurately remember when the symptoms began. Herr continued to explain that for every minute an individual is having a stroke, around 1.9 million brain cells are lost, making it important to treat the patient as quickly as possible.

Herr said the classic signs of a stroke are typically pain in the arms and sweating. Unfortunately, women do not have the classic symptoms, Herr said, and it is dangerous for women to think the discomfort they are feeling is not serious when it could in fact be pain caused by a stroke.

According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), even though strokes are more common in men, more than half of the stroke deaths occur in women.

The main risk factors for individuals can be broken down into five categories: age, family history, race, gender and prior strokes or heart attacks. Other risk factors that can be controlled include high blood pressure, poor diet and cigarette smoking, and patients can reduce their chances of having a stroke by avoiding unhealthy lifestyle choices.

The ASA is promoting wellness and prevention and to help inform individuals about the signs and symptoms of strokes, the organization has created a free mobile application to be downloaded on smart phones. The application advises individuals on the signs of a stroke and the appropriate steps to take for individuals having a stroke.

The ASA also provides a “stroke warning signs quiz” online for residents to complete and learn more about stroke prevention. The quiz and more information about strokes can be found at http://strokeassociation.org.

Residents can also contact EARH for pamphlets on stroke or consultations to discuss strokes. EARH’s Ritzville Clinic is located at 903 South Adams Street and can be reached at 659-1200.