May 5, 2009 - The traditional stroke symptoms are
well known and include a sudden onset of numbness or weakness on one
side of the body, trouble talking, loss of vision, or coordination
problems. But in women, doctors and bystanders should be paying
attention to something else, says Lynda Lisabeth, Ph.D., MPH, researcher
in the Department of Neurology at the University of Michigan Health
System.
What were finding is that women experience
what are considered non-traditional symptoms, says Lisabeth, who
presented the research findings on acute stroke symptoms at the 2009
International Stroke Conference this spring. The non-traditional
symptom that stood out was altered mental status, meaning confusion,
disorientation or a loss of consciousness.
Texan has fed the cows by himself. Stem cells have
some kind of guidance system and migrate to the area of injury and,
although they're not making new brain cells, they may be enhancing the
repair processes. UT Houston to enroll 9 more in clinical trial.
Symptoms such as sudden numbness of the face, arm
or leg are a warning sign of whats happening in the body during a
stroke which is a loss of blood supply to the brain because of a blocked
or ruptured artery.
While larger scale studies focusing on stroke in
women are warranted, the gender differences U-M researchers identified
may contribute to delay in treatment for women and could signal a need
to change public health campaigns, Lisabeth says.
The U-M study examined ischemic strokes, the kind
experienced by 80 percent of stroke victims, and transient ischemic
attack, called mini-strokes because symptoms go away quickly.
Researchers examined the cases of 461 men and women and classified their
symptoms as either traditional or non-traditional.
Altered mental status was the most common
non-traditional symptom and it was more likely to be reported in women,
the study showed. Researchers do not know why womens symptoms were
different.
But the differences in symptoms may have
consequences if slow recognition of stroke signs cause a delay in
treatment, the researcher says.
The only treatment that is currently FDA approved
in the United States for stroke is
tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), or what we call a clot-busting
drug, Lisabeth says.
To administer tPA, people with stroke have to get
to the hospital within three hours of symptom onset. So any delay on the
part of actually getting to the hospital or delays once at the hospital
could literally mean the difference between getting the therapy, or
not.
Each year 800,000 Americans experience a stroke.
Hispanic Americans and African Americans have a greater risk of having a
stroke, and to die from it. Intensive rehabilitation can help some
overcome loss of function, but stroke remains a leading cause of
disability. It is the third leading cause of death.
Men have an increased risk of stroke across most
age groups. But in the oldest age groups, womens risk is higher, and
since women live longer than men, women actually have an increased
lifetime risk for stroke.
Several studies have suggested that women
experience greater in-hospital delays such as longer triage times,
longer time to see a physician and longer times to head imaging, which
is critical for the diagnosis of stroke, compared with men, and have 30
percent lower odds of receiving tPA. Causes of these disparities are
unclear, but could result from the different symptom presentation in
women.
Were hoping to understand those clinical
implications and that information may lend itself to targeting stroke
public health messages to women so that they can understand what it
means to have one of these non-traditional stroke symptoms, and again
emphasizing the urgency to seek care, says Lisabeth, who is also an
assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the U-M School
of Public Health.
Recognizing an ischemic stroke
Strokes are a medical emergency, and if you notice
one or more of these signs, dont wait. Call 9-1-1, or emergency medical
services.
● Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm
or leg, especially on one side of the body;
● Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
● Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
● Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
● Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Links:
>>
U-M Stroke Program
The U-M Stroke Program is part of the U-MCardiovascularCenter and has
been recognized by the American Stroke Association for high-quality
stroke care.
