WELCOME TO PINOYTODAY!
- Current issue May 15,2008
BUSINESS
American Heart Association rapid access journal report:
With a stroke, time lost is brain lost
Fil-Am shares experience
May is Stroke Awareness Month and the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, encourages everyone to take the opportunity to learn about America's No. 3 killer and leading cause of disability. Stroke is the second leading cause of death in the Philippines. Five hundred out of every 100,000 Filipinos suffer a stroke every year. It is important that you learn recognize the warning signs of stroke, know its risk factors and take action to prevent it.
Filipino-American Prima de Vera knows first-hand the importance of stroke awareness and action. At 37, de Vera was at the prime of her life. A professional massage therapist, de Vera is a travel enthusiast who tours the country and the world with her family. Their goal is to visit all 50 U.S. states and all seven continents of the world.
De Vera is also an avid marathoner. She has completed five full and half marathons, two of which she did with the American Stroke Association's Train To End Stroke program in honor of her grandmother who had a stroke.
“I loved my life,” de Vera said. “I'm a very social person and I thrive in the company of my family and friends and the things we do together.”
De Vera said she and her mom had planned a trip to Antarctica in January. It was the last continent that her mom hadn't traveled and it was one of two for her. One month before their Antarctica trip, just a few weeks before Christmas last year, de Vera had a stroke.
She remembers getting sick on December 3, a day after a trip to Disneyland. “I woke up early morning feeling nauseous. I was dizzy and vomiting and this went on for a few days. I had to call in sick, and those who know me know that I usually work through any kind of pain or illness,” she said.
On the third day, de Vera was taken to a local urgent care clinic where her blood pressure reading registered extremely high at 250/141 mmHg. High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke, especially when combined with other risk factors. A normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mmHg. Doctors called 911 and de Vera was rushed to Harbor-UCLA's emergency room. An MRI test later confirmed that she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, characterized by bleeding in the brain.
De Vera has a family history of cardiovascular disease. Her grandmother died a year after she suffered a stroke, her father had a quintuple bypass surgery 10 years ago, and her mother has high cholesterol. “While I knew I was at risk, I didn't think it would happen to me in my 30s,” said the Carson, CA, resident.
Stroke, or brain attack, can happen to anyone regardless of age, race or gender. Stroke risk is greater if a parent, grandparent, sister or brother has had a stroke. According to the American Stroke Association, an estimated 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke every year in the U.S. About 158,000 of them die. Stroke is the third leading cause of death for women after diseases of the heart and cancer, claiming more than twice as many lives as breast cancer. Stroke is also a leading cause of serious long-term disability. About 3 million women in the United States are living with the aftermath of stroke.
De Vera barely remembers the 10 days she stayed in the hospital. “I couldn't keep my eyes open and I can remember only flashes of faces. I remember one of the doctors asking me the date and I was over a week off the actual date. It's strange to have no recollection of an entire week of my life.”
De Vera attended five sessions of physical therapy to regain her strength. She said the stroke impaired her vision and briefly affected her speech, but she is getting better every day. She admitted to feeling depressed after being sidelined by stroke. She misses going to work and driving around with friends. She can't wait to travel again and run another marathon. “I remember having fun and loving life before my stroke, and I want to get back to that – back to work, back to living a fun, happy life.”
Since her stroke, de Vera has taken steps to improve her lifestyle. She watches what she eats and plans to go back to the gym. She continues to take medication to keep her blood pressure at a normal range. De Vera said she has learned how important it is to be diligent in seeing the doctor regularly and getting checked.
De Vera is slowly picking up where she left off. She continues to undergo rehabilitation at the Joseph B. O'Neal, Jr. Stroke Center, which provides services free of charge to Carson City stroke survivors and their families.
Now that she's stronger and her vision has improved, she's enrolling in a driving rehabilitation program to regain her mobility. She spends some of her time volunteering for Train To End Stroke. A volunteer since 2004, de Vera said she plans to train for another marathon once she gets clearance from her doctor. For now, she's gearing up for a benefit 5k walk – the first since her stroke – in May.
De Vera is also ready to travel again and scratch off the 20 plus states and the last two continents in her list that she hasn't been to. She plans to go to Australia in November this year and to Antarctica with her mom in February next year.
SIDE BAR
Could you be the next face of stroke?
Stroke can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender or gender. Spouses, children and other family members of survivors are also affected when a stroke occurs. It is important to protect yourself and your loved ones by knowing the stroke risk factors. Having high blood pressure, smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol use are a few risk factors that can be controlled or eliminated.
Stroke Warning Signs
With a stroke, time lost is brain lost. In just one minute, a stroke can kill about 2 million brain cells. And if a typical stroke runs its course without treatment, you permanently lose brain tissue the size of 1.5 ping-pong balls. Take the time to learn the warning signs of stroke. Act quickly and call 9-1-1 immediately if you or someone suffers a stroke. Remember, it is important to seek medical attention within three hours of the first sign of symptoms to reduce the impact of a brain attack. These are the warning signs of stroke:
* Sudden numbness or weakness of the 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; or
* Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Take Action
The American Stroke Association and American Heart Association have many tools available to help you educate yourself or your loved ones and share the lifesaving message of stroke prevention. Visit strokeassociation.org or call 1-888-4-STROKE to learn more.
Some stroke risk factors are hereditary. Others are a function of natural processes. Still others result from a person's lifestyle. You can't change factors related to heredity or natural processes, but those resulting from lifestyle or environment can be modified with the help of a healthcare professional.
RISK FACTORS
What risk factors for stroke can't be changed?
* Age — The chance of having a stroke approximately doubles for each decade of life after age 55. While stroke is common among the elderly, a lot of people under 65 also have strokes.
* Heredity (family history) and race — Your stroke risk is greater if a parent, grandparent, sister or brother has had a stroke. African Americans have a much higher risk of death from a stroke than Caucasians do. This is partly because blacks have higher risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.
* Sex (gender) — Stroke is more common in men than in women. In most age groups, more men than women will have a stroke in a given year. However, more than half of total stroke deaths occur in women. At all ages, more women than men die of stroke. Use of birth control pills and pregnancy pose special stroke risks for women.
* Prior stroke, TIA or heart attack — The risk of stroke for someone who has already had one is many times that of a person who has not. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are “warning strokes” that produce stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. TIAs are strong predictors of stroke. A person who's had one or more TIAs is almost 10 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn't. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke. If you've had a heart attack, you're at higher risk of having a stroke, too.
What stroke risk factors can be changed, treated or controlled?
* High blood pressure — High blood pressure is the most important controllable risk factor for stroke. Many people believe the effective treatment of high blood pressure is a key reason for the accelerated decline in the death rates for stroke.
* Cigarette smoking — In recent years, studies have shown cigarette smoking to be an important risk factor for stroke. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke damage the cardiovascular system in many ways. The use of oral contraceptives combined with cigarette smoking greatly increases stroke risk.
* Diabetes mellitus — Diabetes is an independent risk factor for stroke. Many people with diabetes also have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and are overweight. This increases their risk even more. While diabetes is treatable, the presence of the disease still increases your risk of stroke.
* Carotid or other artery disease — The carotid arteries in your neck supply blood to your brain. A carotid artery narrowed by fatty deposits from atherosclerosis (plaque buildups in artery walls) may become blocked by a blood clot. Carotid artery disease is also called carotid artery stenosis. Peripheral artery disease is the narrowing of blood vessels carrying blood to leg and arm muscles. It's caused by fatty buildups of plaque in artery walls. People with peripheral artery disease have a higher risk of carotid artery disease, which raises their risk of stroke.
* Atrial fibrillation — This heart rhythm disorder raises the risk for stroke. The heart's upper chambers quiver instead of beating effectively, which can let the blood pool and clot. If a clot breaks off, enters the bloodstream and lodges in an artery leading to the brain, a stroke results.
* Other heart disease — People with coronary heart disease or heart failure have a higher risk of stroke than those with hearts that work normally. Dilated cardiomyopathy (an enlarged heart), heart valve disease and some types of congenital heart defects also raise the risk of stroke.
* Sickle cell disease (also called sickle cell anemia) — This is a genetic disorder that mainly affects African-American and Hispanic children. “Sickled” red blood cells are less able to carry oxygen to the body's tissues and organs. These cells also tend to stick to blood vessel walls, which can block arteries to the brain and cause a stroke.
* High blood cholesterol — People with high blood cholesterol have an increased risk for stroke. Also, it appears that low HDL (“good”) cholesterol is a risk factor for stroke in men, but more data are needed to verify its effect in women.
* Poor diet — Diets high in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol levels. Diets high in sodium (salt) can contribute to increased blood pressure. Diets with excess calories can contribute to obesity. Also, a diet containing five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day may reduce the risk of stroke.
* Physical inactivity and obesity — Being inactive, obese or both can increase your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. So go on a brisk walk, take the stairs, and do whatever you can to make your life more active. Try to get a total of at least 30 minutes of activity on most or all days.
What are other, less well-documented risk factors?
* Geographic location — Strokes are more common in the southeastern United States than in other areas. These are the so-called “stroke belt” states.
* Socioeconomic factors — There's some evidence that strokes are more common among low-income people than among more affluent people.
* Alcohol abuse — Alcohol abuse can lead to multiple medical complications, including stroke. For those who consume alcohol, a recommendation of no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for nonpregnant women best reflects the state of the science for alcohol and stroke risk.
* Drug abuse — Drug addiction is often a chronic relapsing disorder associated with a number of societal and health-related problems. Drugs that are abused, including cocaine, amphetamines and heroin, have been associated with an increased risk of stroke.
To learn more about stroke and how you can fight it, visit strokeassociation.org or call 1-888-4-STROKE.