Stroke can happen at any age | Recognize the signs and get help immediately

LAKE GRANBURY MEDICAL CENTER

Schwarzkopf is the medical director for Lake Granbury Medical Center Emergency Department. Johnson is the LGMC stroke coordinator.

A severe headache, difficulty seeing, confusion, or fumbling to find words. These stroke symptoms are often mistakenly blamed on other illnesses or medications — especially when they occur in people younger than age 65.

That’s especially concerning given the increasing incidence of stroke in younger adults, a finding reported by the National Institutes of Health. The NIH research revealed a seven percent increase over a 12-year period in adults who are age 55-and-younger. The alarming trend is attributed to the rise in obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure among younger age groups.

Implementing preventive measures — such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, smoking cessation — and learning the signs and symptoms of stroke, may help save lives and minimize related disability.

UNDERSTANDING STROKES

Nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and one person dies from a stroke every four minutes. It is the fourth leading cause of death in this country, and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. In addition, about 25 percent of people who recover from their first stroke will have another stroke within five years.

About 87% of strokes are ischemic — meaning an artery responsible for blood flow to the brain is either blocked or severely restricted by a blood clot — which deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients. The remaining 13% are hemorrhagic — caused by a weakened blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the surrounding brain tissue.

The area of the brain affected by a stroke determines what bodily functions are impacted. Stroke victims may lose permanent memory, speech, balance, fine motor skills and control over some muscles or entire limbs on one side of the body. A person’s personality or behavior can also be affected or changed. The Stroke Awareness Foundation estimates there are 7 million stroke survivors living in the U.S. today and two-thirds of them are disabled.

ACT QUICKLY

A major stroke can kill nearly two million brain cells a minute—that’s why acting quickly when symptoms first appear, is so important. Patients who receive clot-busting drugs within three hours of initial symptoms reduce the likelihood of long-term disability. Call 9-1-1 and try to recall the time that symptoms first appeared. The quicker medical care is received, the greater a stroke victim’s chances are of surviving.