Today I read the synopsis of a study that was conducted in Ireland. Interestingly, the headline and the first line of the story generalize the results to all older persons. I imagine the same could be true of older persons in other countries which is why I am writing about it in the blog, but clearly I am making an assumption.
In the study from the Royal College of Surgeons, over 2000 persons, with average age of 74, were questioned about the risk factors for having a stroke and the signs of a stroke. The best number from the study was in regards to the knowledge that high blood pressure is a risk factor for having a stroke, (uncontrolled hypertension) either way, 75% of the persons they questioned knew that to be true.
Less common knowledge and a teaching point perhaps are other lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of having a stroke, they are:
Smoking
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Alcohol in excess of one glass a day women and two glasses/drinks a day men
(with regard to alcohol the drink is the equivalent of one 12 ounce beer, one 4 ounce glass of wine (read that again) or one and a half ounces of liquor.)
Of course, the more risk factors that apply to a person the greater their risk of stroke. All of the above risk factors can be prevented or controlled by diet, exercise and in some cases medicine.
It is very important that a stroke be recognized and 9-1-1 called within minutes of its signs. A popular mnemonic for knowing what to look for is FAST
Face - ask person to smile, is one side drooping?
Arms - ask person to lift arms over head, does one arm drop, drag or drift down?
Speech - ask person to repeat a simple sentence, is the speech slurred?
Time - if the answer to any of these is YES, call 911 immediately
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