HAT TIP: National Stroke Association
One half of all African American women will die from stroke or heart disease.
African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as Caucasians. The rate of first strokes in African Americans is almost double that of Caucasians.
The statistics are staggering -- African Americans are affected by stroke more often than any other group.
Why?
Not all of the reasons are clear why African Americans have an increased risk of stroke. Some factors include a higher rate of:
• High blood pressure. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke, and 1 in 3 African Americans suffer from high blood pressure.
• Diabetes. People with diabetes have a higher stroke risk.
• Sickle cell anemia. If sickle-shaped cells block a blood vessel to the brain, a stroke can result.
African Americans also have a higher incidence than Caucasians of obesity and smoking, two other factors that can increase your risk for stroke.
If you have one or more of these risk factors, it's even more important that you learn about the lifestyle and medical changes you can make to prevent a
stroke. The National Stroke Association's stroke prevention guidelines will help you learn how you may be able to lower your stroke risk.
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label obesity. Show all posts
Friday, June 15, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
What's Your "Stroke IQ"?
HAT TIP:
Medical News Today
Stroke is the third largest cause of death, the top cause of disability, and the single biggest reason why people are admitted to nursing homes. But despite
this, studies have shown that Americans don't know enough about why strokes happen, what to do when they happen or how to prevent strokes from happening
in the first place.
So, the University of Michigan Stroke Program is offering a test that can check anyone's stroke IQ, and maybe bump it up a few points. Don't worry, the
test comes complete with answers, and explanations, from the U-M program's director, Lewis Morgenstern, M.D., who has led national studies on how to improve
knowledge about stroke. Share it with others, and help improve America's stroke IQ!
Question 1: What is a stroke?
Answer: It's a brain emergency. Just like a heart attack is a heart emergency, a stroke is a "brain attack."Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A stroke is what
happens in the brain when blood does not get to a part of the brain, and that part of the brain dies. Both heart attack and stroke are diseases of the
blood vessels."
Question 2: Are all strokes the same?
Answer: No. Most are caused by blocked blood vessels in the brain, but some are caused by bleeding in the brain. But no matter what the cause, strokes are
emergencies that can kill or disable someone within hours.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "All strokes are not created equal. About 85 percent are ischemic strokes, which occur when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked
by a clot or fatty buildup. Ten percent of strokes occur when a blood vessel bursts; that's an intracerebral hemorrhage. And 5 percent of strokes occur
when an aneurysm, or weak spot in a blood vessel, ruptures, or there's other bleeding in the brain ?" that's called a subarachnoid hemorrhage."
Question 3: Are some people "destined" to have a stroke?
Answer: No. There's a lot you can do throughout life to reduce your risk. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "Stroke is the most preventable of all catastrophic
conditions, and I think that's very important for people to realize. Your destiny isn't to have a stroke the proper attitude is that your destiny is to
prevent yourself from having a stroke."
Question 4: What are the signs that someone is having a stroke?
Answer: Any sudden changes in thinking, feeling, moving, speaking, understanding or seeing. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "By definition, stroke symptoms occur
all-of-a-sudden. They come on rapidly, and they can come and go. The most common symptoms are sudden onset of weakness or numbness on one side of the body,
difficulty in speaking or understanding, and losing vision in an eye, like a shade coming down from above in one eye. Strokes can also cause unexplained
clumsiness, make a person drop objects, or cause someone to fall."
Question 5: What should you do if you think you, or someone near you, is having a stroke?
Answer: Call 911 immediately.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A stroke is a brain attack, and the faster a person gets diagnosed and treated, the better their chances will be. Don't wait,
don't call your doctor's office first, don't drive yourself to the hospital. Don't think that it's not a stroke just because you don't have any of the
risk factors. Get an ambulance, and fast."
Question 6: Does having a stroke mean you're definitely going to die or be disabled?
Answer: Not necessarily. Better and faster treatment is giving more people a chance to walk out of the hospital with minimal problems. Patients may do even
better if they go to a hospital with an accredited stroke center, like U-M.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A percentage of the 720,000 Americans who suffer a stroke each year will die within hours or days after it occurs. And for those
who survive it can be very disabling. But a sizable percentage of patients who have a stroke recover enough to function independently. Still, they will
always have a higher-than-normal risk of a second stroke."
Question 7: Do only elderly people have strokes?
Answer: No. Although the risk of a stroke goes up with age, people of any age can suffer strokes. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "Stroke is a disease that occurs
more commonly in people as they get older, but I've taken care of children with stroke, and people in their teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s with stroke. It can
occur anytime."
Question 8: What makes someone more likely to have a stroke?
Answer: High blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, being overweight, having an abnormal heart-rhythm condition or other heart disease, or being related to
someone who has had a stroke are all risk factors that increase the chances a person will have a stroke. A person's risk goes up with every additional
risk factor he or she has.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "The number one risk factor is hypertension, or high blood pressure. People who have atrial fibrillation, which is a very common
form of abnormal heart rhythm, also have a high stroke risk. Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke are important risk factors. Family history is important.
If your mother, father, sister, brother or child has had a stroke, you're at increased risk. People who are overweight, especially if they also have problems
with blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, have a higher risk. And of course, people who have survived a stroke or had a "mini stroke", also called
a TIA, have a much higher risk."
Question 9: What can people do to cut their stroke risk?
Answer: Quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked, and keep your blood-sugar levels under control if you
have diabetes. Talk to your doctor about other options, especially if you have atrial fibrillation or a family history of stroke. Dr. Morgenstern explains:
"Virtually all the risk factors for stroke are things that can be treated and limited. It's really up to the individual to take control of their risk factors
in order to prevent stroke. Heart rhythms, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, being overweight, and addiction to tobacco are all treatable. These
risk factors are very much interrelated, but many of them can be taken care of by a lifestyle that is active, with regular exercise, and by watching your
diet, and working with a physician for medication that might be needed. Even in people who have had a stroke or mini-stroke in the past, we can do a lot
to prevent a second one from occurring."
OK, pencils down! That's the end of the Stroke IQ Test how did you do? If you got all the way through it, you probably know more about stroke now than the
vast majority of Americans do. Now, share this IQ test with everyone you know especially if they have some of the risk factors like smoking, being overweight,
or having diabetes.
Facts about stroke:
-- Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and kills over 160,000 Americans each year.
-- Stroke is also a leading cause of serious long?"term disability in adults, and the leading reason for people to be admitted to nursing homes. -- About
700,000 strokes occur in the United States each year, mostly in people who have never had a stroke before.
-- Strokes can occur at any age. Nearly one-quarter of strokes are in people under age 65. The risk of having a stroke more than doubles for every decade
of life after the age of 55.
-- Stroke death rates are higher for African Americans than for whites, even at younger ages.
-- According to the American Heart Association, stroke cost almost $57 billion in both direct and indirect costs in 2005.
-- If given in the first few hours after a stroke begins, a treatment called tPA can help decrease the long-term effects of stroke in many people who suffer
the most common kind of stroke. But many people who could benefit from tPA never receive it.
University of Michigan Health System
2901 Hubbard St., Ste. 2400
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2435
United States
http://www.med.umich.edu
Medical News Today
Stroke is the third largest cause of death, the top cause of disability, and the single biggest reason why people are admitted to nursing homes. But despite
this, studies have shown that Americans don't know enough about why strokes happen, what to do when they happen or how to prevent strokes from happening
in the first place.
So, the University of Michigan Stroke Program is offering a test that can check anyone's stroke IQ, and maybe bump it up a few points. Don't worry, the
test comes complete with answers, and explanations, from the U-M program's director, Lewis Morgenstern, M.D., who has led national studies on how to improve
knowledge about stroke. Share it with others, and help improve America's stroke IQ!
Question 1: What is a stroke?
Answer: It's a brain emergency. Just like a heart attack is a heart emergency, a stroke is a "brain attack."Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A stroke is what
happens in the brain when blood does not get to a part of the brain, and that part of the brain dies. Both heart attack and stroke are diseases of the
blood vessels."
Question 2: Are all strokes the same?
Answer: No. Most are caused by blocked blood vessels in the brain, but some are caused by bleeding in the brain. But no matter what the cause, strokes are
emergencies that can kill or disable someone within hours.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "All strokes are not created equal. About 85 percent are ischemic strokes, which occur when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked
by a clot or fatty buildup. Ten percent of strokes occur when a blood vessel bursts; that's an intracerebral hemorrhage. And 5 percent of strokes occur
when an aneurysm, or weak spot in a blood vessel, ruptures, or there's other bleeding in the brain ?" that's called a subarachnoid hemorrhage."
Question 3: Are some people "destined" to have a stroke?
Answer: No. There's a lot you can do throughout life to reduce your risk. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "Stroke is the most preventable of all catastrophic
conditions, and I think that's very important for people to realize. Your destiny isn't to have a stroke the proper attitude is that your destiny is to
prevent yourself from having a stroke."
Question 4: What are the signs that someone is having a stroke?
Answer: Any sudden changes in thinking, feeling, moving, speaking, understanding or seeing. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "By definition, stroke symptoms occur
all-of-a-sudden. They come on rapidly, and they can come and go. The most common symptoms are sudden onset of weakness or numbness on one side of the body,
difficulty in speaking or understanding, and losing vision in an eye, like a shade coming down from above in one eye. Strokes can also cause unexplained
clumsiness, make a person drop objects, or cause someone to fall."
Question 5: What should you do if you think you, or someone near you, is having a stroke?
Answer: Call 911 immediately.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A stroke is a brain attack, and the faster a person gets diagnosed and treated, the better their chances will be. Don't wait,
don't call your doctor's office first, don't drive yourself to the hospital. Don't think that it's not a stroke just because you don't have any of the
risk factors. Get an ambulance, and fast."
Question 6: Does having a stroke mean you're definitely going to die or be disabled?
Answer: Not necessarily. Better and faster treatment is giving more people a chance to walk out of the hospital with minimal problems. Patients may do even
better if they go to a hospital with an accredited stroke center, like U-M.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "A percentage of the 720,000 Americans who suffer a stroke each year will die within hours or days after it occurs. And for those
who survive it can be very disabling. But a sizable percentage of patients who have a stroke recover enough to function independently. Still, they will
always have a higher-than-normal risk of a second stroke."
Question 7: Do only elderly people have strokes?
Answer: No. Although the risk of a stroke goes up with age, people of any age can suffer strokes. Dr. Morgenstern explains: "Stroke is a disease that occurs
more commonly in people as they get older, but I've taken care of children with stroke, and people in their teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s with stroke. It can
occur anytime."
Question 8: What makes someone more likely to have a stroke?
Answer: High blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, being overweight, having an abnormal heart-rhythm condition or other heart disease, or being related to
someone who has had a stroke are all risk factors that increase the chances a person will have a stroke. A person's risk goes up with every additional
risk factor he or she has.
Dr. Morgenstern explains: "The number one risk factor is hypertension, or high blood pressure. People who have atrial fibrillation, which is a very common
form of abnormal heart rhythm, also have a high stroke risk. Smoking or exposure to second-hand smoke are important risk factors. Family history is important.
If your mother, father, sister, brother or child has had a stroke, you're at increased risk. People who are overweight, especially if they also have problems
with blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, have a higher risk. And of course, people who have survived a stroke or had a "mini stroke", also called
a TIA, have a much higher risk."
Question 9: What can people do to cut their stroke risk?
Answer: Quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked, and keep your blood-sugar levels under control if you
have diabetes. Talk to your doctor about other options, especially if you have atrial fibrillation or a family history of stroke. Dr. Morgenstern explains:
"Virtually all the risk factors for stroke are things that can be treated and limited. It's really up to the individual to take control of their risk factors
in order to prevent stroke. Heart rhythms, cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, being overweight, and addiction to tobacco are all treatable. These
risk factors are very much interrelated, but many of them can be taken care of by a lifestyle that is active, with regular exercise, and by watching your
diet, and working with a physician for medication that might be needed. Even in people who have had a stroke or mini-stroke in the past, we can do a lot
to prevent a second one from occurring."
OK, pencils down! That's the end of the Stroke IQ Test how did you do? If you got all the way through it, you probably know more about stroke now than the
vast majority of Americans do. Now, share this IQ test with everyone you know especially if they have some of the risk factors like smoking, being overweight,
or having diabetes.
Facts about stroke:
-- Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and kills over 160,000 Americans each year.
-- Stroke is also a leading cause of serious long?"term disability in adults, and the leading reason for people to be admitted to nursing homes. -- About
700,000 strokes occur in the United States each year, mostly in people who have never had a stroke before.
-- Strokes can occur at any age. Nearly one-quarter of strokes are in people under age 65. The risk of having a stroke more than doubles for every decade
of life after the age of 55.
-- Stroke death rates are higher for African Americans than for whites, even at younger ages.
-- According to the American Heart Association, stroke cost almost $57 billion in both direct and indirect costs in 2005.
-- If given in the first few hours after a stroke begins, a treatment called tPA can help decrease the long-term effects of stroke in many people who suffer
the most common kind of stroke. But many people who could benefit from tPA never receive it.
University of Michigan Health System
2901 Hubbard St., Ste. 2400
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2435
United States
http://www.med.umich.edu
Why Blacks Do Not Successfully Donate Kidneys
HAT TIP:
Medical News Today
In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine explored why blacks are less likely than other races
to become living kidney donors, and the reasons are obesity and failure to complete the donor evaluation.
"Obesity is a growing problem in the African-American community, particularly among women, and this reflects what we found in the study," said Amber Reeves-Daniel,
D.O., an instructor in internal medicine-nephrology. "The other issue is the social reasons for non-donation, including failure to complete the donor evaluation
process. This issue is just not well understood."
Reeves-Daniel reported the results at the 2007 American Transplant Congress in San Francisco.
Donor questionnaires and charts for 541 disqualified potential donors were reviewed. The disqualified donors were all identified by documented information
- race, gender and cause of donor exclusion. In some cases, disqualified donors had more than one reason for exclusion.
About 30 percent of blacks were excluded because of obesity, compared to 16.6 percent of whites. Obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI) greater than
or equal to 32 kg/m². Twelve percent of blacks were excluded because they didn't complete the evaluation process, compared to 1.8 percent of whites. For
whites, the biggest reason for exclusion was kidney stones, at 7.3 percent, compared to 1.5 percent in blacks.
"Further study of these differences may improve our understanding of the causes of low rates of living kidney donation among African-Americans, particularly
regarding the social reasons," said Reeves-Daniel. "Is it lack of trust in the medical community, financial inability to get to doctor's appointments for
tests, concerns with work and child care, or perhaps some other issue?"
The researchers also examined reasons for non-donation between men and women. They found that more women than men did not donate because of reduced renal
function, at 7.9 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. Also, more women (6.4 percent) than men (1.8 percent) were excluded due to not completing the process.
"I did find this kind of surprising because more women successfully donate than men, at a rate of 58 percent versus 42 percent," said Reeves-Daniel.
"We hope all of these results will help with understanding so we can recruit successful donors in the future."
###
This article caught my attention simply because my cousin, who is in her 40's needed a kidney transplant a few years ago. Sadly, most of everyone in the family, including myself, could not donate a kidney because of our challenged health. That incident caused me to notice how almost everyone in our family was obese and suffering from hypertension and/or diabetes. In the time that we needed to help my cousin live, we couldn't. And the reality was that we couldn't help her because we also were slowly dying.
So, let's take care of ourselves so that we can live a long life, and help our loved ones live a long life as well.
Angela L. Braden
African American Health Network's Blog Administrator
Medical News Today
In one of the first studies of its kind, researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine explored why blacks are less likely than other races
to become living kidney donors, and the reasons are obesity and failure to complete the donor evaluation.
"Obesity is a growing problem in the African-American community, particularly among women, and this reflects what we found in the study," said Amber Reeves-Daniel,
D.O., an instructor in internal medicine-nephrology. "The other issue is the social reasons for non-donation, including failure to complete the donor evaluation
process. This issue is just not well understood."
Reeves-Daniel reported the results at the 2007 American Transplant Congress in San Francisco.
Donor questionnaires and charts for 541 disqualified potential donors were reviewed. The disqualified donors were all identified by documented information
- race, gender and cause of donor exclusion. In some cases, disqualified donors had more than one reason for exclusion.
About 30 percent of blacks were excluded because of obesity, compared to 16.6 percent of whites. Obesity was defined by body mass index (BMI) greater than
or equal to 32 kg/m². Twelve percent of blacks were excluded because they didn't complete the evaluation process, compared to 1.8 percent of whites. For
whites, the biggest reason for exclusion was kidney stones, at 7.3 percent, compared to 1.5 percent in blacks.
"Further study of these differences may improve our understanding of the causes of low rates of living kidney donation among African-Americans, particularly
regarding the social reasons," said Reeves-Daniel. "Is it lack of trust in the medical community, financial inability to get to doctor's appointments for
tests, concerns with work and child care, or perhaps some other issue?"
The researchers also examined reasons for non-donation between men and women. They found that more women than men did not donate because of reduced renal
function, at 7.9 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. Also, more women (6.4 percent) than men (1.8 percent) were excluded due to not completing the process.
"I did find this kind of surprising because more women successfully donate than men, at a rate of 58 percent versus 42 percent," said Reeves-Daniel.
"We hope all of these results will help with understanding so we can recruit successful donors in the future."
###
This article caught my attention simply because my cousin, who is in her 40's needed a kidney transplant a few years ago. Sadly, most of everyone in the family, including myself, could not donate a kidney because of our challenged health. That incident caused me to notice how almost everyone in our family was obese and suffering from hypertension and/or diabetes. In the time that we needed to help my cousin live, we couldn't. And the reality was that we couldn't help her because we also were slowly dying.
So, let's take care of ourselves so that we can live a long life, and help our loved ones live a long life as well.
Angela L. Braden
African American Health Network's Blog Administrator
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)