Forewarned – armed

What you need to know about stroke, even if you are young

Vladimir Rubochkin, Geektimes based on Health: The Early Signs of Stroke You Need to Know–Even If You're Young

A sad and shocking turn of events: social media star and model Katie died two weeks ago after suffering a stroke. The New York Daily News reported that she may have had a "neck injury" when she fell during a photo shoot in late January, and that Katie tweeted that she had a "pinched nerve" before she was hospitalized. But, it turns out, such pain can be caused by a much more serious cause than a pinched nerve. But if a woman is so young (34 years old), who could compare neck pain with a stroke?

"When you're young and relatively healthy, you don't think about a stroke, completely excluding this possibility," says David Liebeskind, MD, University of Caliphonia Medical Center. "But the reality is that a stroke can develop at any age."

According to doctors, the model suffered from carotid artery dissection. It starts as a rupture in the artery wall, which can be caused by trauma and leads to the appearance of a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain.

Although this type of stroke is rare, strokes in general are on the rise in younger people, probably due to factors such as hypertension. Between 1995 and 2008, the rate of hospitalizations due to stroke in patients aged 15 to 44 years jumped by 37% (!). What is most upsetting, experts found that 73% of people under the age of 45 use the principle of "wait and see" when they experience stroke symptoms, and don't rush to the hospital.

"But, this is a disastrous decision," says Dr. Liebeskind, "because the first 3 hours after the onset of symptoms are a critical window for treatment."

So what are the early signs? The two main ones are a sudden attack of dizziness or a severe headache. David Newman-Tokero, MD, associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, said these are the most common symptoms in women younger than 45, which are sometimes accompanied by hiccups or nausea.

Dr. Liebeskind adds a few more signs:

• temporary loss of speech,
• changes in vision,
• inability to perform some ordinary actions,
• other unusual sensations,
• the association of symptoms with neck pain or with a recent fall.

"If you have a combination of symptoms, there is a high probability that it is a stroke," he said. "Dial 911." And if your doctor tries to diagnose you with something else (internal otitis or migraine), do not give up. A migraine won't kill you, but a stroke can," notes Dr. Liebeskind.

Dr. Newman-Tokero also advises asking the doctor this question: "Why do you think it's not a stroke? If he can't answer in a way that sounds clear, contact another doctor."

The first 3 hours after a person experiences stroke symptoms are often referred to as the "golden window". This period of time is crucial for patients to restore blood supply to the brain and minimize or reverse brain damage.

"Timely treatment of stroke is probably more important than almost any other medical issue," said David Liebeskind, MD, professor of neurology, director of stroke treatment programs at Ronald Reagan Medical Center. "There is a very limited window in which to start treatment, because the brain is very sensitive to a lack of blood flow, and the longer the patient waits, the more devastating the consequences."

Strokes also occur at a fairly young age. "This is a real problem," Liebeskind said. "We need to give young people information about stroke symptoms and convince them of the urgency of the situation, because stroke statistics are going up." Strokes in the United States occur approximately every 40 seconds, bringing the total number of cases to 800,000 new patients per year.

In 2007, Jennifer Reilly was one of them. "I woke up in the middle of the night with an excruciating headache," Reilly said. "I was 27 years old, I was very active, quite healthy and was not prone to headaches. I thought it was a really weird thing."

Arriving at work that day, Reilly told her story to a colleague who insisted that Reilly go to the hospital. Reilly eventually ended up in a medical center, where it was determined that she had had a stroke. "I was very skeptical," Reilly said. – I didn't have what I thought were the classic symptoms of a stroke. I was only 27."

Reilly says that in the week before the headache, she also experienced periodic numbness in one of her hands. "Half of my left arm was numb for just one second," she said.

The majority of patients (about 85%) suffer from the so-called ischemic stroke, in which the arteries in the brain are blocked, blocking the access of oxygen to the brain. Ischemic stroke can happen to anyone at any age, and is often associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and obesity.

The faster the thrombus causing a stroke is removed, the lower the level of disability of the patient – these are the research data presented by the American Stroke Association at the International Stroke Conference 2016.

In the current analysis, the researchers tested 83 patients who underwent thrombus removal. They found that:

• in patients who had blood flow restored within 2.5 hours after the onset of stroke, 87% achieved functional independence (minimal disability or its complete absence);
• those whose blood flow was restored between 2.5 and 3.5 hours after the onset of stroke had 10% less chance of achieving functional independence;
• every 60 minutes of delay after 3.5 hours corresponded to a 15% decrease in functional independence.

Sleeping more than eight hours a day significantly increases your chances of a stroke – these are the data of the study.

A study of almost 290,000 people found that 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day can reduce the likelihood of stroke. But American researchers from New York University have shown that those who sleep longer increase the risk of stroke by 146%. Sleeping less than 7 hours increases the risk by 22%. Scientists presented their findings at a meeting of the American Stroke Association in Los Angeles on 17.02.2016.

They took into account many factors of health, lifestyle, age and ethnicity of 288,888 adults who took part in the survey between 2004 and 2013. The researchers also analyzed how long these people slept and how much they exercised in walking, swimming, cycling or gardening. Sleeping 7 to 8 hours a day and exercising 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 6 times a week gave the maximum benefit for stroke prevention.

Strokes occur either as a result of a brain hemorrhage, or when a blood clot cuts off blood flow to a part of the brain. Every year in England, about 110,000 people suffer a stroke. It is the third most common cause of death after heart disease and cancer. They are the main cause of disability of the adult population.

Scientists have also found that people who have 6-8 hours of sleep live longer and have better health, and those who get less than 6 hours of sleep are more at risk of dying prematurely.

Researchers don't know exactly why sleeping too much is problematic. One theory is that a longer sleep indicates a worse quality of sleep. Everyone whose biological clock is regularly disrupted (for example, nursing mothers and shift workers) is vulnerable.

The American Stroke Association writes that this year, more than 100,000 U.S. women will have a stroke.

Stroke is not a geriatric disease. It is not limited to the elderly, overweight people, smokers or people with high cholesterol. "These are all common risk factors," says Stephen J. Kittner, MD, director of the Maryland Stroke Center at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. – But a stroke can affect anyone at any age. There are other stroke risk factors that are especially important for women under 55." They include:

• Migraine
  Recent studies show that women who suffer from migraines with aura (visual disturbances such as flashing dots or white spots) may be up to 10 times more likely to suffer a stroke, regardless of other risk factors.

• Birth control pills
  Women taking birth control pills (even with low estrogen levels) may have twice the chance of a stroke than those who do not use these drugs. And this risk may increase if other risk factors are present.

• Preeclampsia/Eclampsia
  Women with a history of preeclampsia/eclampsia have an increased risk of developing hypertension and stroke after childbirth in the future.

• Arterial hypertension
  Women with chronic primary or secondary hypertension, or a previous pregnancy associated with hypertension, have an increased risk of stroke.

• Hormone replacement therapy
  Women taking hormone replacement therapy may have an increased risk of stroke.

• Autoimmune diseases (diabetes, lupus) can increase the risk of stroke.

• Blood clotting disorders

• Women who have had more than one miscarriage have a higher risk of blood clots, which can increase the likelihood of stroke. Other signs of possible clotting may include a prior history of deep vein thrombosis or purple discoloration of the skin.

Dr Kittner adds: "Risk factors are cumulative. Removing even one of them can significantly reduce your chances of having a stroke."

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru 02.03.2016