Stroke Fact Sheet
Strokes are the third largest cause of death in the United States and affect more than 600,000 Americans each year
What is a Stroke?
A stroke occurs when the blood flow to an area of the brain is interrupted by a blocked or broken blood vessel. When a stroke occurs, it kills brain cells in the immediate area. When the brain cells die, they release chemicals that set off a chain reaction that endangers brain cells in a larger surrounding area of brain tissue. Without prompt medical treatment, this larger area will also die.
When brain cells die, the abilities that area of the brain controls are lost or impaired. The degree of recover depends on the amount of brain cell death.
What does the brain do?
The brain is the most complex part of the human body. It interprets the senses, initiates movement and controls our behavior. The following chart explains what each side of the brain does and what is affected when a stroke occurs.
Left Hemisphere
|
Right Hemisphere
|
(stroke on left side)
Right body affected
|
(stroke on right side)
Left body affected
|
| Motor speech Expressive speech
|
Attention span Impulse control
|
Movement on right side of body
|
Movement on left side of body
|
Emotion Control
|
Initiates activities you want to do
|
Understanding math
|
Drawing skills
|
Writing
|
Remembering visual objects
|
Locating body in space
|
Recognition of faces
|
Reading numbers and letters
|
Awareness of the left side of the body
|
Recognizing objects
|
Emotional stability
|
Remembering written information
|
Measuring distances of objects to body
|
Stroke Facts
- As life threatening as a heart attack, a stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted
- Third largest cause of death in America
- More than 600,000 Americans suffer strokes each year
- Someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 53 seconds
- Leading cause of severe disability
- People over age 55 have higher risk and the risk increases as you get older
Warning signs of stroke
- One-sided weakness, numbness, or paralysis
- Blurred or decreased vision
- Difficulty speaking and understanding speech
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Sudden severe or unexplained headache
Risk factors for stroke
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Smoking
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Family history
- History of previous strokes or blockage of arteries leading to the brain
Recovering from a stroke
Because stroke survivors often have complex rehabilitation needs, progress and recovery are different. Brain injury resulting from a stroke can affect the senses, behavioral and thought pattern, speech, and memory. Temporary or long-term paralysis on one side of the body can also occur. The first step in recovery is to help the survivor prevent another stroke while taking care of any other medical problems while in acute care.
Next the stroke survivor may enter a rehabilitation therapy program. Rehabilitation helps to preserve abilities and to regain lost capacity. The goal in Rehab is to become more independent and should begin as soon as possible. The stroke survivor’s will to recover and desire for independence as well as family support are essential components for rehabilitation.
The final phase in rehabilitation is return to the community. This can last for a lifetime as the stroke survivor and their family learns to cope with the effects of stroke.
Call 9-1-1 and seek medical attention immediately if you think you may be having a stroke.
