By Karen Stokes
Adrienne Mayberry
The month of May is dedicated to spreading information and raising awareness about strokes.
Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. According to the American Stroke Association up to 80% of strokes may be prevented.
Adrienne Mayberry, MSN, RN, Stroke Coordinator at ProHealth Care Neuroscience Center explains the different types of strokes.
“There’s a couple of different types of strokes, first there’s the warning strokes, TIA (Transient ischemic attack) or called a mini stroke, at some point blood flow to the brain is blocked but the body and the brain self releases that blockage and the blood flow gets restored on its own. These usually last less than an hour and it goes away but it doesn’t mean that it still isn’t significant but it’s a warning to a larger stroke. The second type is Ischemic strokes which are caused by a clot that stays there and those are the most common of strokes and the last type is bleeding or Hemorrhagic strokes where a blood vessel can burst and there’s bleeding in the brain,” she said.
A stroke can happen to anyone at any time; however, the burden and risk of stroke is higher among Black and Hispanic adults in the US. This is in part due to unmanaged risk factors including high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.
“They are saying that due to disparities in healthcare, and lack of this population reaching out if they have symptoms, there’s a stigma against going to the provider and I think there’s a genetic factor. There’s a higher risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol so we are trying to bridge that gap between healthcare disparity,” Mayberry said.
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) follow F.A.S.T. The common stroke symptoms that we look for are: Facial droop, Arm or leg weakness, Slurred speech (speech difficulty) and Time to call 911.
“We also have been looking at other symptoms. The ASA provides information on symptoms on their website. These symptoms include trouble with vision, difficulty with coordination and severe headache with no known cause,” said Mayberry.
Mayberry warned that to help someone you believe is having a stroke, the most important is to determine when symptoms started. That is the information needed to determine what interventions they can present to the patient based on when the symptoms started.
“We do recommend not waiting it out or seeing if it goes away because the longer someone waits the less opportunity we have to intervene.” she explained. “For example there’s a medication that goes into an IV in the arm that can help break up the clot but that can only be done within four and a half hours and so if we can get an accurate time when symptoms started it’s important. Call 911 because EMS can do a stroke assessment right in the home. They can call a pre arrival report to the hospital so they are ready.”
Lifestyle choices make a difference in the occurrence of a stroke. More than 1 in 3 American adults have high blood pressure and don’t know it. You should get blood pressure under control with medication or diet choices, monitor cholesterol levels, if you’re a diabetic, keep your blood sugar under control, stop smoking, get active and reduce weight, and follow up with your provider.
For more information, visit the ASA website at www.stroke.org. Hospitals also provide informational handouts, and you can find booths at community events. Alternatively, you can contact Adrienne Mayberry at Adrienne.mayberry@phci.org.
“If you have trouble with your meds or can’t afford them, talk to your provider, they can help. People need to be active participants in their healthcare,” said Mayberry.