Triad Living Features NC Stroke
The NC Stroke Association was profiled in the summer issue of Triad Living Magazine in recognition of the organization’s 15th anniversary and continued success with stroke prevention and education programs across the state. Click here to read the article
NC Stroke in Forsyth Woman and Buena Vista Life Magazines
Forsyth Woman and Buena Vista Life magazines cover the successful Women Honoring Women luncheon held earlier this spring. The luncheon, which honored Ann Lewallen Spencer, was orchestrated by NCSA board members Louise Broyhill, Ann Lanier Spencer, Christy Spencer, Liz Kelly, Jane Ahles and Susan Gordon.
Applying for Disability Benefits after a Stroke
The effects of having a stroke impact nearly every aspect of an individual's life-particularly the ability to work and earn a living. Unemployment combined with extensive medical bills can pose additional financial difficulty. If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke that has severely limited your ability to perform everyday tasks and essential job functions, you may qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. Click here to read more
Public Radio East's interview with Margaret Rudisill and Jo Malfitano about the incidence of stroke in eastern North Carolina
Click here to hear an interview with NCSA Program Coordinator Margaret Rudisill along with Jo Malfitano of Onslow Memorial Hospital, an NCSA partner hospital, and other health professionals as they discuss the incidence of stroke in North Carolina, paths to prevention and advances in treatment options.
Many thanks to Margaret and Jo for making themselves available for this important outreach opportunity.
NC Stroke Association Marks 15th Anniversary at Women Honoring Women Luncheon
This year's Women Honoring Women luncheon, held March 7 at Old Town Country Club, marked NCSA's 15th Anniversary and honored long-time supporter Ann Lewallen Spencer. Ann is the sister-in-law of Ann Lanier Spencer, one of the original founding members of the NC Stroke Association, and a co-organizer of the Women Honoring Women luncheons along with Jane Ahles, Susan Gordon and Liz Kelly.
"We are so thrilled to be honoring Ann Lewallen Spencer on the occasion of our 15th anniversary," said Beth Parks, executive director of the NC Stroke Association. "Ann and her family have been so supportive of the North Carolina Stroke Association.
"Women have helped shape the NC Stroke Association in so many ways - as board members, staff, event organizers and stroke health-care providers," continued Parks. "Their impact cannot be overstated and we are so grateful to their contributions. Today, the NC Stroke Association serves an important role as a statewide institution that is significantly improving North Carolina's efforts to reduce the incidence and impact of stroke."
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 NC Stroke Association Program Director Margaret Rudisill spoke at the Women Honoring Women luncheon about the organization’s commitment to addressing the disparity in stroke education, prevention and care across North Carolina. |
 The NC Stroke Association was delighted to honor Ann Lewallen Spencer at our recent Women Honoring Women luncheon held March 7 in Winston-Salem. Former U.S. Senator James Broyhill, NCSA Executive Director Beth Parks and NCSA Board President Dr. Charles Tegeler joined Ann for a photo after the event. |
 The NC Stroke Association hosted its Women Honoring Women luncheon at Old Town Country Club in Winston-Salem on March 7. More than 175 people attended the event, which raised more than $21,000 for NCSA's education and outreach programs. Organizing the event were NCSA Board Members (L-R) Louise Broyhill, Christy Spencer, Ann Lanier Spencer, Jane Ahles, Liz Kelly and Susan Gordon. |
Southern diet, fried foods, may raise stroke risk
Being in the "belt buckle" of the Stroke Belt, the results of this federally-funded study shed light on why North Carolinians are at higher risk for stroke. Read more...
Job Opportunity at Moses Cone
Cone Health is a state of the art network of facilities providing patients access to the latest developments in medical care from their first moments of life through later years. Read more...
Tomato helps cut the risk of a stroke, study shows
A diet that includes tomatoes could lower the chance of having a stroke. A new study shows that men who had the highest levels of lycopene—an antioxidant found in tomatoes—had fewer strokes than men who had the lowest level of lycopene in their blood. Overall, the risk of strokes was reduced by 55%. Read more...
More Strokes Occurring in Younger Age Groups
By MyHealthNewsDaily Staff
More young and middle-aged adults are having strokes, a new study suggests.
In 1994, 12.9 percent of strokes occurred in adults between ages 20 and 55, whereas in 2005, 18.6 percent of strokes occurred in this age group, according to the study of stroke rates in a four-county region of Ohio and Kentucky.
Additionally, the data showed that the average age of people who experienced a stroke fell from 71 in 1994 to 69 in 2005.
"The reasons for this trend could be a rise in risk factors such as diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol," said study author Dr. Brett Kissela, of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio. However, factors such as improved diagnosis may also have contributed to the increase, he said.
"Regardless, the rising trend found in our study is of great concern for public health, because strokes in younger people translate to greater lifetime disability," Kissela said.
In the study, researchers looked at data on all stroke patients between ages 20 and 54 seen at hospitals, clinics and nursing homes during three separate, yearlong periods: July 1993 through June 1994, and the calendar years of 1999 and 2005. Only a patient's first stroke was included in the analysis.
The stroke rate among people over age 75 decreased between 1994 and 2005, according to the study, and other studies have shown a general decrease in stroke rates over recent decades. For example, the Framingham Heart Study reported a decline in stroke rates between 1950 and 2004.
"Any decline in stroke incidence is positive from a public health prospective, but reduced incidence in older ages is counterbalanced by the worrisome trend of younger strokes," Kissela and colleagues wrote in their study. Strokes at younger ages can mean a greater loss of productive life years, and greater health care expenses over time.
The new findings show that the trend toward younger stroke patients was seen in both African-Americans and Caucasians. The yearly stroke rate among African-Americans increased between 1994 and 2005 from 83 strokes to 128 strokes per 100,000 people, according to the study. Among Caucasians, the yearly stroke rate increased from 26 strokes to 48 strokes per 100,000 people over the same period.
Most of these increases were seen in a type of stroke called an ischemic stroke, which occurs when an artery bringing blood to the brain is blocked. (Another type — called a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel leaks or bursts — was less common.)
While the reasons for the increased stroke rate among younger people are not entirely clear, the researchers pointed to the findings of a separate survey of people in the region, which showed an increasing percentage had high cholesterol. Data from national surveys also show that rates of diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity increased over the study period, they said.
"The good news is that some of the possible contributing factors to these strokes can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise," Kissela said.
One question raised by the study is whether the increase is partly due to better diagnoses of stroke, according to two researchers who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study in the journal.
"The progressive adoption of MRI as a diagnostic tool during the study period challenges the validity," of comparing the stroke rates between the early 1990s and 2005, wrote Drs. Sally Sultan and Mitchell S. V. Elkind, both neurologists at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
While the researchers tried to account for the increased use of MRI in their study, it likely still had an effect, Sultan and Elkind said.
However, if strokes are affecting more young people, there are public health implications, they said. "If strokes occur at earlier ages, as life expectancy increases, stroke-related disability will increase even more," they wrote.
5K for Stroke Support
NCSA encourages stroke advocates to participate in the upcoming 5K walk/run hosted by Garris United Methodist Church in La Grange, N.C. on Saturday, October 13. This is the second year that the church has donated a portion of the proceeds to the NC Stroke Association. We are so grateful for this support! Read more...
Cycle for Life 2012
Who can resist being outside on these gorgeous fall days? Can you walk, run or ride a bike / trike? Come on and join us at Hanover Park Vineyard in Yadkinville, NC, on October 6 for the annual Cycle for Life Bike Tour.
Read more...
Heavy Drinking May Lead to Early Stroke
People who drank about three or more alcoholic drinks per day also had the strokes almost a decade and a half before those who didn't drink quite as much. ... Read more...
Yoga Steadies Stroke Victims
A yoga-based rehabilitation workout may help improve balance following stroke, a pilot randomized study found... Read more...
Small Changes In Treatment Keep Stroke Patients Alive
Stroke, until recently the third leading cause of death in the U.S., has dropped back to fourth place, reflecting a host of gradual improvements in preventing and treating the disease. Read more...
New Beyond the Hospital Video
The NC Stroke Association unveils a new video highlighting Beyond the Hospital, a program offered by NCSA to educate patients on secondary stroke prevention and post-stroke issues. Quality patient education leads to improved medical outcomes, better quality of life and reduced risks of repeat strokes. Click here to view it.
CNRN Review Course
Presented by Cynthia Bautista, PhD, RN, CNRN on Friday, June 22, 2012 at 8s-5p.
Click here for more details...
