Being able to identify the warning signs of a stroke and take appropriate and immediate action is vital to increase the chances of recovery and even survival for a stroke victim. The problem is for the person suffering the stroke they are usually debilitated and unable to call the emergency services.
The emergency services are aggressively promoting the impact of stroke on a persons well being, in an attempt to help people better recognise stroke symptoms and take appropriate action where necessary.
The more common warning signs of stroke include the following symptoms:
Sudden weakness or numbness in face, arm or leg on one side of the body.
Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye.
Difficulty in talking and in understanding when being spoken to, or even complete loss of speech. A lot of stroke victims report that they are aware that something (quite frightening) is happening to them, but they either can't manage to speak to tell anyone about it, or when they do speak, their words are undistinguishable and mumbled.
Intense and sudden headaches for no apparent reason.
Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially with any of the other symptoms mentioned above.
Fortunately, the EMS is being packaged as a complete support system, which will ultimately lead to a better response and increased chance of recovery for all stroke victims. The package includes roles at all levels of support from medical researchers, through to the people handling the emergency calls and the medical dispatchers and paramedics.
A recent study by the Central New York EMS program found the average person who had a stroke waited nearly 2 hours before calling for assistance. EMS has attempted to fight this delay by becoming more aggressive with public education on stroke warning signs and symptoms and urging patients to call 911 or the their EMS for assistance at the first signs of stroke.
Once they receive the call for help, the EMS have a very streamlined system in place to ensure that the victim gets the support and medical attention very quickly, but they are unable to put any of this into practise until they are made aware of the case.
They are able to assess patients on the spot and make informed judgements due to their knowledge of stroke symptoms, and are able to make detailed reports to physicians and medical departments on route to hospital. The end result is a very streamlined and efficient service for identifying signs of a stroke, managing the stroke symptoms and increasing the odds of survival and recovery for the victim.
The survival of stroke patients is dependent on a team approach to care. Stroke care starts with the patient recognizing the warning signs and symptoms of a stroke and activating the EMS system as soon as possible. It really is critical that a stroke victim receive medical attention as quickly as possible to increase their chances of survival.
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We all know that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and a new study confirms that heavy drinkers are at a significantly higher risk for suffering an ischemic stroke.
But the same study indicates they lower their risk of stroke if they cut back their drinking or stop drinking entirely.
And - most controversially - the same study suggests that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may even protect against the risk of ischemic stroke, according to a recent issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Ischemic stroke is the most common of the signs of a stroke. It is caused when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, damaging or destroying brain cells and resulting in impaired bodily function and sometimes death.
Over the years, we've learned that reducing risks for stroke is pretty much like reducing risks for heart attacks, and that means eating better, exercising more, reducing our blood pressure, quitting smoking, and avoiding heavy drinking.
This latest study, looked at 677 people who had suffered a first stroke and confirmed that large amounts of alcohol are bad.
Heavy drinkers who consume seven or more drinks per day are at almost three time’s higher risk for ischemic stroke, according to the study. (A drink is usually defined as a 12 ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, a 5 ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 30-proof distilled spirits.)
That agrees with earlier studies on alcohol and strokes. However, these researchers also found that heavy drinkers who quit or reduced their drinking to no more than two drinks a day were able to reduce their risk of stroke.
The controversial results of the study found that people who consumed moderated amounts of alcohol - defined as up to two drinks a day - actually were at 45 percent lower risk for ischemic stroke than non-drinkers.
There is a continuing debate within the medical community about whether moderate drinking of alcohol really is beneficial, and the report conceded that previous studies on the effects of moderate alcohol on ischemic strokes is contradictory.
"While no study has shown benefit in recommending alcohol consumption to those who do not drink, our data support the view, endorsed by the National Stroke Association in its Stroke Prevention Guidelines, that among those who are moderate drinkers, continued consumption may provide a reduction of ischemic stroke risk."
In other words, if you don't drink alcohol, don't start now, in hopes of reducing your risk of stoke. Moderate alcohol consumption may or may not help. Heavy alcohol consumption greatly increases your risk of stroke (and heart disease in general), so if you are a heavy drinker, you should quit or cut back now.
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