As a serious health concern
for women, stroke has not received the public attention it deserves.
National Stroke Association (NSA) is committed to changing how women
view stroke. With its “Women in Your Life” campaign, NSA will teach
women and their loved ones:
- Stroke is Preventable
- Understand stroke as a serious health concern – 80 percent of
strokes are preventable
- Stroke is Treatable -
Recognize stroke symptoms and seek immediate medical attention –
effective treatment must be given within 3 hours of the first signs of
stroke
- Stroke is not just
your “Grandmother’s” disease - Realize strokes can happen to anyone at
any age, not just the elderly – Over 30 percent of strokes in women
occur before the age of 65
- Care about Yourself
and Your Family – 72% of care givers are women
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Chances are
you have special women in your life. Is it your mother, sister, friend?
Is it you?
Understanding strokes and how they affect women is vital to the health
and well-being of all the women in your life.
Few people realize that, every year, stroke kills twice as many women as
breast cancer.
Stroke is the third leading cause of the death in this country and a
leading cause of adult disability. It kills 160,000 people every year
and leaves another 590,000 stroke survivors in its wake. There are over
four million stroke survivors living today and two-thirds of them have
moderate to severe disabilities. |
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Women are uniquely
affected by stroke:
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- Approximately 100,000
women between the ages of 30 and 65 will have a stroke this year.
- African American women
have the highest stroke risk of any ethnic population.
- Women account for
about 43 percent of the strokes that occur each year. But, they
account for 61 percent of stroke deaths.
- Women significantly
outnumber men as care givers to stroke survivors. In fact, 72 percent
of the caregivers in this country are women.
The fact is women are
touched by all aspects of stroke. Regardless of age, women can start now
to prevent a stroke later. |
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Stroke Prevention for Women |
Recent studies have revealed
that even certain aspects of a healthy diet can significantly reduce
stroke risk in women:
- Eating fish and
other foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids just twice a week can reduce
risk of stroke up to 27 percent.
- Drinking milk or enjoying other sources of
calcium can help improve bone mineral density (BMD). Low BMD is
associated with increased stroke risk and osteoporosis.
- Choosing whole grain foods can help lower
stroke odds. Women who eat more servings of whole grains daily are
only 57% as likely to have a stroke as women who eat fewer servings.
Encourage the women
in your life to learn about stroke prevention, treatment and recovery.
They can save their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. |
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What is a stroke? |
A stroke is a brain attack! It occurs
when the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain is interrupted by a
clogged artery or a damaged artery that is leaking blood into the brain.
When arteries to the brain are clogged with blood clots or fatty
deposits, an ischemic stroke can occur. Hemmorhagic strokes occur when
an artery wall breaks, and spills blood into the brain. Ruptured
aneurysms are common causes of hemorrhagic strokes.
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Are you at risk? |
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Stroke risk is determined by several
medical conditions and lifestyle factors. High blood pressure, diabetes,
high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation (a form of irregular
heartbeat), can increase a woman’s risk for stroke. Lifestyle factors
such as diet, physical activity, weight and smoking also impact a
woman’s odds of having a stroke. |
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Why should women care about stroke
risk?
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While stroke is not a
condition exclusive to women, there are certain aspects of stroke that
make women especially vulnerable. |
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High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) |
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As one of the most important
stroke risk factors for women to consider, hypertension affects nearly
29 million American women. Older women have a higher risk and more than
50 percent of all women over age 55 experience this condition. African
American women need to pay particular attention, because they are more
likely to have more severe high blood pressure than other ethnic
populations. |
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Diabetes |
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Affecting a person’s ability
to move sugar out of the blood stream and into cells, diabetes is often
called a “woman’s disease.” After age 45, about twice as many women
develop diabetes compared to men. Diabetes affects the risk of stroke by
allowing blood clots to form with sugar in the blood. While there is no
cure for diabetes, there are effective ways to manage it through diet
and exercise, weight loss and/or medication.
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Migraine headaches |
A majority of migraine
sufferers in this country are women. These very painful, and sometimes
blinding, headaches can increase a woman’s stroke risk three to six
times. If a woman smokes, has migraines, and takes oral contraceptives,
her stroke risk is increased as much as 34 times.
Migraine attacks, which typically include throbbing pain on one or both
sides of the head, nausea and light or noise sensitivity, can last from
a few hours to several days |
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