Taking stroke symptoms seriously
Try this small experiment. Ask a few family members or friends which medical condition frightens them the most and chances are, no one will mention stroke. Yet stroke is a devastating illness. It's the leading cause of disability in adults, permanently crippling more than 15% of its victims.
The aftermath of a stroke
A stroke is a brain attack
Learn the subtleties of stroke symptoms
Emergency care can help stop acute stroke
Comprehensive stroke diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
Treating the underlying problem
The aftermath of a stroke
Here's just how horrible a stroke can be: "A stroke or brain attack can paralyze one entire side of someone's body so that walking or grasping an object are impossible. It can leave a person unable to swallow water or food. Some stroke victims suffer from global aphasia, losing the ability to understand language or use it. Stroke can destroy someone's bladder and bowel control. And it can affect anyone at any age, although its risk increases as a person gets older. Many people are not aware how terrible the aftermath of a stroke can be," says
Mitchell Rubin, MD, board certified in neurology and director of the Stroke Center at Virtua.
A stroke is a brain attack
"A stroke occurs when the blood flow to a part of the brain is stopped by a
blood clot or other blockage. This is called an ischemic stroke and it is the most common type," says Dr. Rubin. When a blood vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain, it is a hemmorhagic stroke. In a stroke, damage occurs because the brain cells do not receive the oxygen and nutrients needed from the blood. When cells die, brain function dies along with them.
Learn the subtleties of stroke symptoms
"Stroke symptoms can be very tricky," says
Manzoor Abidi, MD, Virtua board-certified neurologist. "Sometimes symptoms may appear, then just as quickly disappear, leaving someone to think: "Anything really serious wouldn't have gone away like that." In fact, a transient warning may be the only one given, so it's important to learn what stroke symptoms are and to heed their warning.
Act immediately if these symptoms occur; go to a hospital emergency room or call 911:- 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
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Emergency care can help stop acute stroke
If stroke symptoms have started within a three-hour window, some individuals may be able to receive tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). This is an intravenous drug used only with ischemic stroke that can prevent the stroke from progressing. tPA works by "busting the clot" that is causing the stroke and helping to restore blood flow to the affected area of the brain. Using tPA increases the likelihood of functional independence at three months following a stroke.
Comprehensive stroke diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
Virtua Memorial Hospital, Virtua Marlton and Virtua Voorhees have established
primary stroke centers according to the guidelines of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH). They are each staffed by a trained, multidisciplinary stroke team on call 24 hours a days, seven days a week under the direction of Dr. Rubin with services available through the emergency department of each hospital. The team includes neurologists, emergency room physicians, radiologists and specially trained nurses.
The Stroke Centers offer a complete continuum of in-hospital care starting with emergency room evaluation and treatment, post-acute stroke care including stroke-risk assessment and prevention as well as rehabilitation. Daily stroke rounds are made by staff from the departments of physical therapy, rehabilitation medicine, dietary, pharmacy and social worker services.
Treating the underlying problem
While in the hospital, the individual who has had a stroke will be evaluated for any risk factors or disease. People at higher risk for stroke include those suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease. Individuals who smoke are also at risk. Stroke prevention includes keeping disorders that can cause a stroke under control with regular monitoring by a physician and following a regimen that may include medication, diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes.
Virtua offers comprehensive care for stroke or for those who may be at risk. For an appointment with a Virtua neurologist, family physician, internist or cardiologist, call
1-888-Virtua-3.