>>> STROKE IS THE FIFTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH, BUT A LEADING
CAUSE OF LONG-TERM DISABILITY ACCORDING TO THE CDC.
MAY IS STROKE AWARENESS MONTH, AND MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS SAY
STROKES ARE PREVENTABLE, BUT IT IS CRITICAL TO KNOW THE SIGNS.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH ANGELA SMITH, MANAGER OF THE
STROKE SERVICE AT HOLYOKE MEDICAL CENTER, TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT THIS OFTEN SILENT KILLER.
. >> WELL, THE AMERICAN HEART AND
STROESH -- ASSOCIATION DESIGNATED MAY AS STROKE
AWARENESS MONTH.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO
HAVE PUBLIC AWARENESS, YOU KNOW,
OPPORTUNITIES LIKE TODAY.
>> AND IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS TO A PERSON WHEN
THEY ARE HAVING A STROKE.
YOU HEAR DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVING DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS.
>> THE BEST ANALOGY I CAN USE, IT'S LIKE A BRAIN ATTACK.
WHEN YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK A BLOOD VESSEL IS BLOCKED.
SAME THING IN THE BRAIN, AND THAT'S 85% OF THE TIME, AND
ABOUT 15% THE BLOOD VESSEL CAN BURST OR OOZE BLOOD, SO THAT'S A
BLEEDING TYPE STROKE.
IT'S A BLOCKAGE OR BLEEDING TYPE STROKE, AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS
THE CIRCULATION IS IMPAIRED WHICH MEANS YOU ARE NOT GETTING
BLOOD AND OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN AND BRAIN TISSUE DIES
IMMEDIATELY.
>> WHAT KIND OF SYMPTOMS OCCUR?
LIKE YOU CAN HAVE LOSS OF FEELING?
>> RIGHT.
IT DEPENDS ON WHERE IN THE BRAIN THE STROKE HAPPENS.
SO IF THE BRAIN IS HAVING IS IN THE BACK PART OF THE BRAIN, YOU
WILL HAVE A LOT OF DIZZY SYMPTOMS, ALMOST LIKE YOU ARE
HAVING VERTIGO OR PROBLEMS WITH DIZZYNESS, AND THEN IF IT'S IN
THE MID-BACK YOU COULD HAVE A VISUAL FIELD LOSS WHERE YOU
COULD BE DRIVING A CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A FIELD CUT COULD
HAPPEN AND WE SEE PEOPLE THAT WILL COME IN AND THEY WILL HIT A
COUPLE PARKED CARS.
MAYBE THEY HAVE A STROKE IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN A STROKE IN A SPEECH CENTER, CAN BE IN THE FRONTAL
LOBE, WHICH CAN CAUSE PERSONALITY CHANGES.
SO THE STROKE DIAGNOSIS IS REALLY UP TO THE PHYSICIANS AND
THE HOSPITAL TO DIAGNOSE YOU BECAUSE IT CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE
IN THE BRAIN AND THE SYMPTOMS VARY.
>> AND SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAS OCCURRED.
FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD HAVE SYMPTOMS FOR A FEW
DAYS WHERE THEY ARE NOT REALLY PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER.
MAYBE THEY HAD A STROKE AND IT WENT UNDETECTED.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT NOT ONLY TO GET INTO THE DOCTOR, LET'S SAY
THEY ARE SAYING THINGS THAT MAY BE SEEM A LITTLE BIT OFF.
>> RIGHT.
>> THEY ARE NOT PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER, AND DO YOU HAVE TO
DEMAND AN MRI TO VERIFY THIS HAS HAPPENED?
HOW DO YOU ADVOCATE FOR YOURSELF?
>> WHEN YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM YOUR BASELINE, YOUR NORMAL
DAY-TO-DAY, PEOPLE WILL NOTICE YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH YOUR
WORDS, FORGETTING THINGS, MORE THAN FORGETTING THE KEYS, OR
HAVING WEAKNESS ON ONE SIDE, WHAT HAPPENS WITH A STROKE IS A
SUDDEN ONSET.
YOU ARE HOLDING YOUR COFFEE MUG AND IT DROPS, AND THAT MEANS THE
BLOOD VESSEL IS RIGHT THEN BLOCKED.
SOMETIMES YOU CAN HAVE A TRANSIENT SYMPTOM, WHICH THE
SYMPTOMS COME AND GO, SO THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE THOSE SYMPTOMS
OVER A PERIOD OF A WEEK.
AND WHEN IT COMPLETELY BLOCKS, THEN YOU WILL SEE COMPLETE
PROBLEMS WITH SOMEONE'S SPEECH, WITH THEIR ARM, WITH THEIR LEG,
WITH THEIR GATE WALKING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S JUST REALLY IMPORTANT TO KIND OF KNOW WHEN THOSE SYMPTOMS
ARE HAPPENING TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE
WHEN WE DO, YOU WILL -- WE WILL FIGURE OUT WHY YOU HAD THAT
STROKE.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND THAT'S WHERE YOU NEED THE MRI AND YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR
HEART.
THERE IS AN ARRAY OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTS WE DO.
>> SO WHAT ABOUT AS FAR AS WHO TYPICALLY -- WHO ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE TYPICALLY AT MOST RISK OF GETTING A STROKE?
YOU HEAR ABOUT THESE TRAGIC CASES WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE WILL
HAVE A STROKE, BUT WHAT IS THE BASIC AGE RANGE?
>> WE HAVE HAD YOUNG PATIENTS AND THOSE TEND TO GET A LOT OF
ATTENTION.
AND IN THE POPULATION HONESTLY, STATISTICALLY, IT'S
UNFORTUNATELY AROUND RETIREMENT AGE.
IT'S ANYWHERE FROM THAT 65 TO 75-YEAR-OLD IS THE MOST
VULNERABLE GROUP FOR STROKE, AND YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE
OLDER, 80, BUT IT'S NOT.
WE SEE MORE PEOPLE IN THE 65 TO 75-YEAR-OLD AGE RANGE, SO IT'S
IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW.
AND MEN AND WOMEN ARE PRETTY EQUAL WHEN IT COMES TO STROKES.
MORE WOMEN DIE FROM STROKES AND I THINK BECAUSE THEY LIVE LONGER
AND STATISTICALLY THEY COME INTO THAT POPULATION.
>> OKAY.
WHAT ABOUT RECOVERY, THOUGH?
I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE THEY HEAR, YOU KNOW, GOSH, A STROKE.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO RECOVER FROM THAT?
BUT THERE ARE SOME AMAZING REHAB PROGRAMS NOW.
>> THE RECOVERY IS IF YOU SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION RIGHT AWAY.
IF YOU COME TO A HOSPITAL WITHIN THREE HOURS, YOU CAN BE ELIGIBLE
FOR A MEDICATION TO DISSOLVE THAT CLOT AND RESTORE THE
CIRCULATION AND WHATEVER DEFICIT THEY HAD WILL OFTEN LIKE
REVERSE.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S A VERY DEVASTATING STROKE, SO IT CAN BE
LESS DEVASTATING.
AND OTHERWISE SOMETIMES IT'S JUST A SMALL VESSEL STROKE WHERE
YOU WILL HAVE SOMETHING SMALL AND IT WILL RECOVER.
AND NOW THERE IS A SECOND LINE, WHICH IS CALLED --
THEY PUT A CATHETER IN AND THEY CAN PULL IT
OUT.
>> BUT THERE IS ALSO SPEECH REHAB.
PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH PATIENTS ON THEIR MEMORY AND
RECOGNITION OF PEOPLE AND NAMES.
I MEAN THERE IS SO MUCH THAT GOES INTO THE RECOVERY PROCESS
THAT'S SO AMAZING.
>> AND WITHIN 24 HOURS OF SOMEONE COMING INTO THE
HOSPITAL, WE HAVE THE WHOLE TEAM ALREADY SEEING THEM,
OCCUPATIONAL, PHYSICAL THERAPY, SPEECH THERAPY.
WE ESTABLISH A PLAN RIGHT AWAY AND THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS
THAT PEOPLE CAN GET SO MUCH BETTER JUST FROM THAT RECOVERY,
AND THERE IS REHAB THAT'S DEDICATED ALL THROUGHOUT THIS
AREA AND WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE FOR STROKE CARE.
>> THE KEY IS AWARENESS.
IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT, IN YOUR LOVED ONE IN PARTICULAR,
BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOUR MOTHER OR FATHER, THEY MIGHT NOT REALIZE
THAT SOMETHING IS OFF, BUT YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE AWARE OF THOSE
CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF WHAT YOUR RISK FACTORS ARE.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR DIABETES YOUR RISK
IS A LITTLE LOWER.
IF YOU START HAVING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, HIGH CHOLESTEROL,
DIABETES, YOU SMOKE, YOU YOU HAVE OBESITY AND IN ACTIVITY,
THINGS LIKE THAT, THOSE ARE ALL CONTRIBUTORS TO STROKE.
IF YOU HAVE THOSE RISK FACTORS YOU MAY BE HAVE A STROKE WHEN
YOU HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS FOR SURE.
>> SO YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE.
>> YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE AND PARTNER WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN AND
GET YOURSELF ON TRACK.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT TOPIC THAT AFFECTS SO MANY PEOPLE.
IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THERE IS HOPE IN RECOVERY AS WELL.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.