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More Stroke Information Added to NIH Senior Health
Website
Aug. 23, 2005 The latest edition to the senior
health Website created by the National Institutes of Health is more
information about strokes there are more than 700,000 a year in the
U.S. and almost three-fourths of them occur in senior citizens over age
65. The risk of a stroke doubles each decade after the age of 55.
To help older adults learn more about the signs and
symptoms of stroke and the need to act quickly, the National Institutes
of Health is adding four new topics on stroke to its NIHSeniorHealth
site: Act Quickly, Warnings Signs and Risk Factors, What Happens during
a Stroke, and Treatments and Research.
The site features easy-to-read stroke information,
developed by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), and may be found at
www.nihseniorhealth.gov.
Stroke is an unmistakable event. Few other medical
conditions come on so suddenly or are so noticeable to a bystander,
said John R. Marler, M.D., associate director for clinical trials at the
NINDS.
A stroke occurs when normal blood flow to the brain
is disrupted. Brain cells die when deprived of oxygen and nutrients
provided by blood. Because stroke injures the brain, the person having a
stroke may not realize what is happening. But to a bystander the signs
of a stroke are distinct:
> Sudden numbness or weakness of the face,
arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
> Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or
understanding speech
> Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
> Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss
of balance or coordination
> Sudden severe headache with no known
cause
In treating a stroke, every minute counts. New
treatments are available that greatly reduce the damage caused by a
stroke, but must be delivered quickly after symptoms begin. Knowing the
stroke symptoms, calling 911 immediately, and getting to a hospital are
critical to preventing long-term disability.
Risk factors for stroke include family history,
high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity, advancing
age, and being overweight.
Older Americans are one of the fastest growing age
groups using the Internet, especially when searching for health
information. Recent research sas 66 percent of wired seniors search
for health and medical information when they go online.
NIHSeniorHealth, a joint effort of the National
Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), was
designed especially for senior citizens. The site, which is based on the
latest research on cognition and aging, features short, easy-to-read
segments of information.
The new section links to other information on
stroke on the NINDS website at
www.ninds.nih.gov. The site also links to MedlinePlus, NLMs premier
site for news on diseases and wellness, drug information, clinical
trials, and other consumer health resources.
The NINDS is the nation's primary supporter of
biomedical research on the brain and nervous system. It is dedicated to
research and education on the causes, treatment, and prevention of
stroke. The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting
research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The NLM,
the world's largest library of the health sciences, creates and sponsors
web-based health information resources for the public and professionals.
All three are components of the National Institutes of Health in
Bethesda, Maryland, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The
Nation's Medical Research Agency is comprised of 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human
Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting
basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit
http://www.nih.gov.
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