Stroke: The Golden Window of Opportunity
Describes the importance of seeking immediate medical care for stroke symptoms.
Every year in the United States 705,000 strokes occur. Of these strokes, 625,000 have the potential to be treated and stopped if medical attention is sought in time; sadly, less than 11% of stroke victims reach a medical center in time to obtain life saving medications.
When a stroke victim’s symptoms first begin, a clock starts ticking. For each minute that brain tissue goes without blood flow, 1.9 million neurons die and 14 billion synapses are lost. Synapses are special pathways along which nerve impulses travel. The brain ages 3.6 years for every hour that passes after a stroke begins.
Treatment
Medications called thrombolytics can help to dissolve blood clots in the brain or carotid arteries and restore blood flow to damaged tissue. In order to be used, the medications must be given within 3 hours of the time that symptoms begin or the Golden Window of Opportunity. These medications do not work for every type of stroke and not every patient is a candidate to use the medication, but a large number of cases that could benefit don’t because they wait too late to seek medical care.
Causes
Most strokes that occur from cardiovascular disease. High cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes are all controllable risk factors for stroke. High blood pressure is another important controllable risk factor.
Act Quickly
A patient needs to receive medical care for any symptoms of stroke no matter how briefly the symptoms last. There is no time to wait and see if it will go away, by the time that a person realizes that it won’t go away, their window of opportunity to abort a stroke is gone. Transient ischemic attacks or TIA’s precede 15% of all strokes. A TIA is a brief interruption of blood flow to the brain with symptoms that resolve rapidly.
Symptoms of Stroke
The symptoms of stroke are distinct because they happen quickly:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Most people are unable to identify symptoms of a stroke. However, it is important for bystanders of all ages to know the signs and symptoms, because a stroke victim may not be able to realize anything is wrong with them. Bystanders who believe they are witnessing stroke symptoms or persons who believe they might be having a stroke need to call 911 immediately. Calling 911 will get the patient care faster than taking them to the hospital.
Know the signs. Spread the word about the Golden Window of Opportunity. Save your loved ones from stroke
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