The shocking news of the unexpected stroke suffered by Sen. Tim Johnson just short of his 60th birthday serves as a reminder that we are all at risk for a stroke at any time.
One of the early manifestations of his stroke was difficulty speaking. In order to get rapid medical treatment, we all need to be aware that this is only one of several common stroke symptoms. Other warning signs of a stroke include:
- Difficulty in understanding speech
- Weakness, paralysis, or numbness and tingling in the arms, legs, or face, usually on one side of the body
- Confusion
- Sudden severe and unexplained headache
- Loss of consciousness or convulsions
- Blurred vision or partial or total loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Trouble walking or loss of balance and coordination
- Dizziness
Early treatment can improve the chance of recovery with little or no disability.
Strokes may be thrombotic - caused by the blockage of an artery supplying blood to the brain - or hemorrhagic, when a blood vessel ruptures and causes bleeding into or around the brain.
Senator Johnson's stroke was caused by bleeding from an abnormal tangle of arteries and veins, called an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), in the brain. About 300,000 Americans are believed to have an AVM of the brain or spinal cord, and between 2 and 4 percent of these AVMs are estimated to bleed each year. The severity of the damage caused by bleeding from an AVM depends on its location and the amount of bleeding. Surgery can remove some of the blood and thus relieve pressure on the brain.
AVMs account for only about 2 percent of all strokes. They are difficult to prevent because the presence of an AVM usually goes unrecognized. However, some cause symptoms like headaches or seizures, and the AVM can be identified by imaging techniques. Treatment of AVMs to prevent bleeding can be carried out by conventional surgical techniques, radiation, or endovascular embolization, which involves guiding the tip of a catheter to the AVM site and injecting a substance to promote formation of a clot to plug off the connections between arteries and veins.
Thrombotic strokes, which are responsible for more than half of all strokes, can result either from blood clot formation at the site of an atherosclerotic plaque or when a blood clot formed in the heart lodges in an artery in the brain. Thrombotic strokes may be prevented by lowering cholesterol levels, smoking cessation, blood pressure control, and taking aspirin or other medications to prevent blood clot formation by people who have the common abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.
Blood pressure control is the most effective way to prevent hemorrhagic strokes.
It's important to know the warning signs of stroke because treating it quickly is crucial to preventing paralysis or other permanent disability, or death. Know these symptoms and tell family and friends to call 911 the moment they notice them in you or someone else. Better yet, talk to your doctor about your risk of stroke and make changes in your life to lower it.
