Do You Know You're Having a Stroke?

Thursday, December 11, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Mayo Clinic study shows a majority of stroke patients don't think they're having a stroke — and as a result — delay seeking treatment until their condition worsens. The findings appear in the current issue of Emergency Medicine Journal.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic studied 400 patients who were diagnosed at Mayo Clinic's emergency department in Rochester, Minn., with either acute ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary interruption of blood flow to part of the brain.

Less than half of the patients — 42 percent — thought they were having a stroke. In fact, most in the study did not go to the emergency room when symptoms appeared. The median time from onset of symptoms to arrival at the hospital was over three and a half hours. Most patients said they thought the symptoms would simply go away. The delay in seeking medical help was the same among men and women.

When asked how they knew about stroke symptoms, nearly one-fifth said they thought a stroke always came on gradually. Just over half (51.9 percent) said they thought that seeking medical care immediately was important.

So what is the significance of the findings?

"Time is crucial in treating stroke," says Scott Silvers, M.D., chair of the emergency medicine department at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida. "Although each person is different with respect to their medical history, in general, the sooner a patient experiencing a stroke, or with stroke-like symptoms reaches emergency care, the better."

Obtaining prompt medical attention is critical so the effects of a stroke can be limited and the patient's condition can be managed to prevent further damage and improve recovery, Silvers adds.

"Certainly, our colleagues' findings clearly indicate that better public understanding of stroke symptoms will lead to a faster response and better outcomes."

What you should know

Strokes can happen quickly or can occur over several hours, with the condition continually worsening. The thrombus or clot that is causing the stroke can frequently be dissolved or disintegrated so blood can again flow to the brain. In such cases, immediate treatment can mean the difference between a slight injury and a major disability.

By use of stents, medications and other technology, physicians can stop a stroke from spreading and greatly limit damage. Stroke symptoms include:

• Sudden numbness, weakness, or paralysis of your face, arm or leg — usually on one side of the body
• Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech (aphasia)
• Sudden blurred, double or decreased vision
• Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination
• A sudden, severe "bolt out of the blue" headache or an unusual headache, which may be accompanied by a stiff neck, facial pain, pain between your eyes, vomiting or altered consciousness
• Confusion or problems with memory, spatial orientation or perception

In some cases, a stroke gives no warning. But one possible sign of an impending stroke is a TIA. The signs and symptoms of TIA are the same as for a stroke, but they last for a shorter period — several minutes to a few hours — and then disappear, without leaving apparent permanent effects. You may have more than one TIA, and the signs and symptoms may be similar or different. A TIA indicates a serious risk that a full-blown stroke may follow.

Mayo Clinic in Florida has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission since December 2004. Mayo Clinic is also certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA). Only five other stroke centers in the state of Florida have received this designation.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers, and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has campuses in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz.; and community-based providers in more than 70 locations in southern Minnesota., western Wisconsin and northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com (www.mayoclinic.com) is available as a resource for your health stories.