>> country music star and activist chely Wright is opening up about a very
personal an alarming
health diagnosis in an effort
to urge fans to pay attention
to
their bodies. Wright took to
social media about a stroke she
suffered shortly after her 48th
birthday
last year. She says she missed
all the signs and thought she
was just suffering from a bad
migraine. So joining us this
morning is doctor Frederick
Jenkins with Memorial Hospital
to talk more about the symptoms
good morning, thanks for being
thanks for having me so
discouraging to
hear up.
>> About a 48 year-old which to
a sounds young and I having a
stroke it is young and it’s
important to note though that
that strokes can occur truly it
at
any age.
>> Undoubtedly were more likely
to suffer a stroke the older we
get a 3 quarters of
strokes occur. After they just
75, however about 10 to 15%
of strokes occur prior to the
age of 45. So if you consider
the fact that
roughly 800,000 strokes occur
year that’s a large number of
strokes occurring in young
people sure is 87% of strokes
are considered. It’s ski mix
Trump’s what
are those so ischemic strokes
happen when blood flow to a
part of the brain is cut off a
ischemic strokes are either
thrombotic or
thrombotic stroke occurs when
the artery supplying blood to
the brain are closed off by
plaque formation and by the way
this is the same thing that
causes a heart Bolick
strokes occur when a clot is
thrown from somewhere else in
the body to the brain and one
of the big causes of this is a
trail fibrillation or a fip
the other
13% a structure him rogic’s
trucks, OK and that’s caused
bleeding occurs either into or
around the brain.
Common causes of this include
hypertension. Drug use
particularly cocaine and
methamphetamine being on anti
quite elation which so many of
our patients are on now so you
know coming down and all of
this and drugs like this
particularly if there is then a
head injury
that occurs or a ruptured
aneurysm is a cause of waiting
OK so you hear all this stuff
made feels like almost
everybody is at risk at some
point or another in their
lives. What are some of the
symptoms that you need to look
out for in Chile right just had
a migraine. >> Well it was a bad mine looking at headaches themselves
it can be difficult tease out
the difference between a
migraine and a stroke.
>> And the reason for this is a
high percentage of patients who
are having a stroke also at the
same time have a headache.
Okay, then vice versa
several of our migraines will
look like strokes up some
migrants have what we call are
as which can include lights in
the field of vision loss of
vision, and sometimes even
temporary paralysis I’m part of
the body. This is what’s called
him a pledge migraine. Other
symptoms of stroke
include weakness or numbness to
to part of the body
particularly its on one side to
the arms and the legs,
facial droop speech slurring
her difficulty producing
speech, maybe you just can’t
find the word you’re looking
for. Visual changes or visual
loss. Difficulty swallowing
sudden onset of dizziness
particularly this birdie go
with it these are some of the
things that the that to look
for for struck going to see
these you need to come see us.
>> And the acronym that you all
uses fast what does that stand
for something to fast right.
Yeah, they think faith face
drooping with numbness.
>> Arm weakness or numbness
speech difficulty or slurring.
And when you experience these
you have to act quickly because
we can do so much for struck
now that we used to not be able
to do
but in order for us to provide
the best care has to be done
really quickly time is very
much of the essence, what is
the window that we’re talking
about and getting treatment.
Well so if we’re going to use
the newer clot busting
medications that we have TPA
the windows 4 and a half hours
from the time of onset of
symptoms so if if we we we
really spent a lot of time
trying to figure out exactly
when the symptoms started
because we we have to adhere to
this now.
We have new or modalities what
we call in the vascular
treatments that can be done a
comprehensive stroke centers
and that window is longer can
go out to even 24 or greater
hours.
>> Oh wow so there’s so there’s
time so if you start feeling
the symptoms and a lot of
people haven’t ha they hesitate
do I really want to go you’re
not are you not hesitate.
And finally is there
any preventative things are
there any preventative things
we can do absolutely absolute
the biggest thing stop smoking.
>> That’s absolutely the Basin
will be the best thing you
could ever do for
if you have one of the stroke
risk factors in these include
hypertension diabetes high
cholesterol. Some of the
clotting disorders make sure
that you’re actively managing
that condition under the
guidance of your primary care
and if you’re on one of the
anti quite let’s that we
discussed earlier make sure you
do everything that you can to
sort of fall per if your house
so that things that might cause
a trip in the fall in the homes
and even places on the floor
area rugs things like this are