ONSET OF STROKE MAY OFFER WARNING SIGNS

Juanita McClain, 66, of Chaffee said she thought it only happened to other people.

After she felt the numbness, dizziness, tingling, and a headache, McClain's daughter took her to the emergency room at St. Francis Medical Center. She was told she was experiencing the warning signs of a stroke.

McClain is not alone; over 550,000 Americans have a stroke each year. It is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

May is stroke prevention month, a time medical experts hope to get the word out on the prevention of stroke.

Chris Byrd, Neurosciences Institute clinical nurse specialist at St, Francis, has been educating people on stroke prevention for over five years. She said patients like McClain may meet a profile of several risk factors that could lead them to a stroke and its debilitating after effects.

"Everyone needs to know the risk factors to determine if they may be a candidate for a stroke, although in most cases it is difficult to pinpoint an exact cause," she said.

Health screenings may identify a person's risk factors. They include:

-- A family history of high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

-- Age (the incidence of high blood pressure rises in men after the age of 35 and in women after the age of 45).

-- Gender (men are more likely to have a higher blood pressure than women).

-- Race (approximately 33 percent of the black population have strokes compared to 25 percent of the white population).

-- Excess weight (those who weigh more than 30 percent above their idea body weight have a higher incidence of high blood pressure).

-- Excessive drinking.

-- Diabetes.

-- Lack of exercise.

Byrd said once a person knows they may be at risk they can take prevention measures to avoid a stroke. "There is a lot you can do for prevention," said Byrd.

She said by not smoking, keeping blood pressure down, eating low-salt and low-fat foods, taking off excess weight, getting regular exercise, taking proper medications, and having regular medical checkups the risk of a debilitating stroke or death can be prevented.

McClain said she now knows she needs to be serious about her health. "Smoking is harder to quit than cocaine," she said. "I had been smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day for 40 years; now I know I must stop."

McClain knows now, after reviewing her family history, that she is at a serious risk for a stroke. "My father's father died of a heart attack at 42, my father died from a heart attack at 63, my brother died at 62 from a heart attack and stroke."

She said she wants to educate her family on stroke prevention. "My two girls and my oldest son smoke; I'm glad my husband quit five years ago."

Byrd said: "Not everyone has the benefit of warning signs of a stroke. In many ways they are lucky to have them."

Byrd said TIAs or transient ischemic attacks are "warning strokes" and may happen before a major stroke. TIAs happen when a blood clot clogs an artery for a short time. TIA symptoms last only a few minutes.

"It's very important to seek medical care at no longer than three hours after the symptoms begin," said Byrd. "A new drug t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator) can be given to dissolve the clot that obstructs the blood flow in the brain during a stroke."

Warning signs of a stroke or TIA include:

-- Feel suddenly weak in an arm, hand or leg.

-- Can't feel one side of face or body.

-- Suddenly can't see out of one eye.

-- Suddenly have a hard time talking.

-- Can't understand what someone is saying.

-- Feel dizzy or lose balance.

-- Have the worst headache you have ever had.

Byrd said, even with McClain's determination, she will have a hard time adjusting to new habits when she returns home. "When she gets home she will have a lot of hurdles to cross, like that morning cup of coffee and a cigarette," she said.

Stroke Prevention Month activities at St. Francis will include stroke screenings, seminars, and public education.

For more information, call the Neurosciences Institute at 1-(800) 455-9999 or (573) 339-6901.