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We often hear it said in jest when someone is flustered: “Don’t have a stroke!”
Turns out there’s truth in those words – and there are important steps each one of us can take to help ourselves and those we love in the event strokes strike.
A stroke is a serious and significant medical emergency. Unfortunately, it’s an all too common one as well. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH), strokes were responsible for 20,879 trips to the ER in 2022 (the most recent year for which data is available). That, in turn, led to 17,765 hospitalizations – which placed an enormous strain on hospitals and medical centers across the state. And as our population ages, the problem only gets bigger.
So, what exactly is a stroke?
“Stroke occurs when a part of the brain is starved of oxygen and blood and undergoes dysfunction,” said Frank Pusey Jr., MD. “That can happen because a blood vessel either gets clogged up or a blood vessel ruptures.”
Pusey is Medical Director of the Stroke Program at Lexington Medical Center, an award-winning hospital system based in the Midlands region of South Carolina.
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“Stroke is very common," Pusey said. "We see at least two or three stroke alerts per day in our hospital. It's very common, particularly in the Southeast and especially so in this state. There are a number of reasons for that - including genetics. There's a high number of patients with high blood pressure and diabetes. We are a heavy smoking population, and so there are some lifestyle issues we deal with as well.”
Age is another factor that comes into play.
“The older we get, the higher our risk for stroke," Pusey explained. "And the longer you have high blood pressure, your risk of stroke increases over time. The biggest thing to worry about is the damage that particularly high blood pressure can cause to the blood vessels themselves - and diabetes, of course. And then over time, that gets worse and worse - increasing the risk for stroke.”
Since stroke is so prevalent and its consequences so serious, it’s important to be on the lookout for its warning signs. That's where a handy acronym, 'BE FAST' comes into play.
'BE FAST' stands for...
Balance: Is the person suddenly having trouble with balance or coordination?
Eyes: Is the person experiencing sudden blurred or double vision - or a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes without pain?
Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop, or is it numb? Ask the person to smile to check.
Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms (even if the symptoms go away), call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately.
That last point is especially significant, Dr. Pusey noted. Since stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, responding immediately once warning signs appear is absolutely critical. In fact, rapid response to stroke can mean the difference between life and death.
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“Time is very critical," Dr. Pusey noted. "We say ‘time is brain.’ The longer the stroke goes on, the more damage it can do. Also, we have treatments, acute interventions that we can do, but they're very time-constrained. We have to get a patient into the hospital very quickly to use these clot-dissolving drugs. They’re most effective within the first four and a half hours of when a stroke begins. The quicker we get it into the patient's system, the more effective it is in trying to limit the damage in the long run."
“The other option that we have beyond that window is if we see a clot in the blood vessel in the brain, we can occasionally take a catheter, slide it where that clot is, and remove it," Dr. Pusey continued. "We can do that for up to 23 hours. But again, the sooner we do all this and we open that blood vessel, the better opportunity we have for improvement in the long run.”
Afterward, therapy can help patients who have suffered certain types of stroke in their recovery.
“Rehab is very essential, Dr. Pusey said. “With us, it starts on day one. Rehab outside of the hospital situation depends on how severe the stroke is. Some patients can do it at home, while some need to go to a rehab facility. My stance is that the most intensive rehab you can get, the better. And that sometimes requires a patient to go to an inpatient rehab facility."
Depending on the situation, rehab can include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
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RELATED | S.C. HOSPITAL SYSTEM CELEBRATES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD
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On the front end, there are several steps you can take to help lower your risk of stroke.
“If you have a history of high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, then as tightly as you control those particular diseases, the better off you are going to be," Dr. Pusey advised. "Certain lifestyle changes - like good, healthy eating, good oral hygiene and good sleep habits - can all lower the risk factors for stroke as well. Being treated for sleep apnea is also helpful. And certainly, we don't want patients smoking cigarettes or drinking to excess."
But should a stroke happen, Dr. Pusey has one critical message for all of us to keep in mind.
“The main thing we want people to remember is if they have a stroke, recognize the symptoms, and then BE FAST," Dr. Pusey concluded. "Don't go to urgent care. Don't try to drive. Call 911 and get yourself here. Don't try to wait for it to go away or see what happens.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR...
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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