When someone is experiencing stroke symptoms, it's almost an understatement to say time is of the essence.
“During a stroke, the brain can lose anywhere from two to seven million neurons a minute. When brain cells die, permanent damage can occur, so there is no time to lose in seeking medical treatment,” says Daniel Morganroth, N.P., a nurse practitioner at Henry Ford Health. “At the first sign of a stroke, call 911.”
According to the American Heart Association, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. Each year, nearly 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every four minutes. Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States.
Who’s at Risk for Stroke?
The risk of having a stroke increases with age. In fact, the risk of having a stroke more than doubles each decade after the age of 55. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strokes can and do occur at any age. About 38% of strokes occur in people under the age of 65, according to the CDC’s latest data.
Family history, lifestyle and health factors also affect stroke risk, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes. A prior stroke or heart attack also puts you at a much higher risk for having a second stroke.
Signs of a Stroke
When someone may be having a stroke, remember the acronym BEFAST - it can help you determine whether someone is having a stroke and what to do:- Balance (loss of balance, coordination or trouble walking)
- Eyes (vision changes, blurry vision, double vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes)
- Face drooping
- Arm weakness
- Speech difficulty
- Time to call 911
What is your stroke risk?
Why Timing Is So Critical After a Stroke
More than 85% of strokes are classified as ischemic, which means it's an acute (or sudden) stroke that occurs when a clot blocks a blood vessel, cutting off blood flow to a part of the brain.
"Anyone showing signs of an acute stroke needs to be evaluated very rapidly, because it is critical to determine whether or not the patient is a candidate for acute reperfusion therapies," says Morganroth. "These are our only hope currently to reverse the damage done by the stroke."
What are acute reperfusion therapies? These are the treatment options that restore blood flow to the affected regions of the brain and minimize tissue damage. The long-term goal is to improve someone's outcome by reducing stroke-related disability and death. These therapies include:
- Administering medication. Powerful thrombolytic (clot-busting) medications can be given to someone to help dissolve blood clots and improve blood flow. It is critical that this treatment is received within hours of initial stroke symptoms to increase their chances of recovery.
- Thrombectomy: Those who have a blockage of a large intracranial vessel can benefit from a procedure called thrombectomy. This is done with the use of a catheter, where a highly specialized doctor (called a neuro-interventionalist) navigates to the location of the clot that's causing the blockage and removes it. The time window for performing a thrombectomy on someone with a stroke is generally longer than that of giving medication, but it's still important to ensure the procedure is performed soon after the onset of symptoms.
"If you are there when a loved one is suffering a stroke, take note of when they first experienced stroke symptoms and communicate this information with EMS personnel and treating physicians," says Morganroth. "Timing of treatment is so crucial."
Reviewed by Daniel Morganroth, N.P., a nurse practitioner and stroke program coordinator who sees patients at Henry Ford Warren Hospital.
