If you asked 1,000 people what health condition worries them most, how many would say stroke?
The answer: 10. That’s right — 1 percent.
Stroke is America’s No. 3 killer and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Yet it is nowhere near the forefront of most Americans’ minds, according to a recently released American Stroke Association survey.
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The fear of stroke was even low (only 2 percent) among those who had suffered a stroke or knew someone who had.
Those surveyed most frequently listed cancer (33 percent) as their top health concern, and 13 percent mentioned heart disease/heart attack. In reality, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American men and women.
The February telephone survey was conducted among a sample of 1,000 adults, representative of the United States in terms of demographics. The margin of error is 3-4 percentage points.
“Overall, the results are disturbing — revealing that stroke is still not a health priority for the general public,” says Dr. Vladimir Hachinski, editor-in-chief of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. “Until this changes, we can expect to see present patterns continue: lack of knowledge about stroke warning signs, lack of emergency action when they occur, lack of commitment to reduce stroke risk factors, and, of course, lack of progress in reducing disability.”
The survey’s results are prompting the American Stroke Association to increase its efforts in May — American Stroke Month — to encourage Americans to become more aware of their risk of stroke and what they can do to help prevent a stroke.
As part of its efforts to reduce death and disability caused by stroke, the American Stroke Association in 1997 began a grassroots initiative, called Operation Stroke. The program’s goal is to educate the public as well as healthcare providers about stroke prevention, the warning signs of the disease, and the importance of early medical treatment.
Operation Stroke is reaching more than 140 million people in 119 metropolitan areas through free stroke screenings and educational materials and campaigns. Local coalitions of emergency medical services personnel, other health care professionals, researchers, stroke survivors and others implement the program.
“Operation Stroke is top priority at the American Stroke Association,” said Pierre Fayad, M.D., chairman of UNMC’s department of neurological sciences and a spokesperson for Operation Stroke of Greater Omaha.
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Without oxygen, nerve cells in the affected area can’t function and die within minutes. The part of the body that these brain cells control also cannot function, which can lead to death. |
“We know enough today to be able to prevent and control most strokes,” Dr. Fayad said. “For example, prevention and control of high blood pressure is one of the first steps to reduce stroke risk. By working together in this partnership to educate the public, we can also increase awareness and reduce the delay from onset of symptoms to effective action.”
The American Stroke Association directs people to call 9-1-1 in response to stroke, because stroke is a medical emergency. The sooner treatment begins, the better a patient’s chances that long-term disability can be reduced.
In 1999, stroke accounted for about one of every 14.3 deaths in the United States. The American Stroke Association estimates that, in the United States, someone has a stroke every 53 seconds and someone dies of one every 3.1 minutes. Direct and indirect costs for stroke in the United States this year will approach $50 billion.
To learn more about stroke, visit the American Stroke Association’s Web site at StrokeAssociation.org or call 1-888-4-STROKE.