Stroke

RECOGNIZING THE IMPACT OF STROKE
Jayna Barrath, RN
Clinical Specialist

Stroke, most commonly caused by a blood clot in the brain, is one of the leading life-threatening health problems today.
Stroke is currently the third leading cause of death among men and women.
Stroke affects approximately 750,000 people each year.
On average, someone suffers a stroke every 53 seconds; someone dies from a stroke every 3.3 minutes.
Stroke is a significant problem in women.
Women are living about 10 years longer than men; as a result, the population of women older than 75 is almost twice that of men.
The risk of stroke increases with age — while the prevalence of stroke in women 70 — 74 years of age is 2.1 percent, it rises to 7.8 percent in women 85 and older.
With more women living longer and experiencing strokes at a later age than men, the outcome of stroke in women is more likely to be catastrophic.
Stroke causes disability in 2/3 of all its survivors — 52 percent of whom are women.
Among older stroke survivors, women are more likely to be institutionalized and to possibly have more disabilities.
Over an entire lifetime, the percentage of woman who will die from stroke is nearly twice that of men.

REDUCE THE RISK OF STROKE

Atrial fibrillation is a leading risk factor for stroke.
Atrial fibrillation is a relatively common heart disorder. With this type of "arrhythmia" the upper chambers of the heart contract or beat in an often rapid and irregular pattern which is out of synch with the lower heart chambers. These rapid, irregular contractions make it difficult for the blood to be emptied properly. Blood can pool in the upper chambers and a clot may form. If these clots break free and are carried to the brain, the brain’s blood supply is threatened and brain damage (stroke) or death can occur.
The anticoagulant (blood thinner) Coumadin reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation-related stroke by 68 percent overall and 84 percent in women!
Coumadin is an oral prescription drug taken daily that is prescribed by doctors for eligible people with atrial fibrillation to reduce the risk of stroke. Coumadin prolongs the time it takes for the blood to clot, reducing the risk of unwanted, possibly harmful blood clots.
People older than 75 with atrial fibrillation are seven times more likely to suffer from a harmful or deadly blood clot if not anticoagulated.
Doctors only need to treat 14 people with atrial fibrillation to prevent one stroke every year!
Coumadin greatly reduces the risk of stroke for people with atrial fibrillation!