COMMENTARY
May 16, 2007

May Is Stroke Awareness Month
KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS OF STROKE

By Supervisor Pam Slater-Price

Every 45 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke. Every three minutes someone dies from stroke. Stroke is the number three cause of death behind heart disease and cancer, and is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.

According to the California Department of Health Services, stroke killed some 1,500 San Diego County residents in 2004. The estimated direct and indirect national cost of stroke in 2007 is $62.7 billion.

But much of this can be prevented. In October 2005, I convened a Stroke Task Force to make recommendations to improve the countywide system of care for stroke victims. The Task Force includes the County Health and Human Services Agency, the American Heart Association the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the San Diego County Medical Association, among others.

The results were startling. The Task Force developed important recommendations for improving care for stroke victims, including developing a life-saving early recognition education program.

That’s why I asked for and had approved county funding to launch a new education campaign, titled, “Know the Warning Signs of Stroke – Call 911”.

Awareness of stroke symptoms, and what to do if you experience them, leads to early intervention and the opportunity for emergency department staff to administer new, more effective treatments that limit the damage caused by stroke.

Learning the warning signs of stroke increases your chances of survival. Especially important is getting immediate medical care. This can significantly reduce the negative impacts of stroke on your body. 

A stroke can be thought of as a "brain attack”, similar to a heart attack. Warning signs include sudden numbness or weakness especially on one side of the body, difficulty speaking, blurred vision, dizziness and severe headache.

Most strokes are Ischemic strokes. A new tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, treatment can help by dissolving blood clots, but only if it is applied within the first three hours of symptoms. This means a significantly better chance of cure from stoke disability.

But immediate treatment begins by calling 911.

Patients with acute stroke who call 911 and arrive at the ER by ambulance are more likely to be evaluated by an ER physician sooner, get the necessary testing for stroke, and be admitted to the hospital or intensive care unit than patients who arrive any other way.

Preventing stroke should be job one. Practicing healthy lifestyle habits reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. These include stopping smoking, controlling high blood pressure, maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels, eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular medical check-ups.

The old saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, definitely applies when trying to prevent a stroke.

For more information about stroke, visit the www.strokeassociation.org

Supervisor Pam Slater-Price represents the third district of San Diego County.