It is involved in everything you do - how you think, feel, act, and interact with others. The brain controls your senses, muscles, internal organs, and gives you the ability to speak, think, learn, and remember. When your brain works right, you work right.
A brain attack is another term for a stroke. The term "brain attack" has been used by the National Stroke Association (NSA) since 1990 to increase public awareness of stroke, by underscoring the seriousness of this medical condition.
Being able to recognize symptoms and quickly seek medical treatment is even more urgent in the case of stroke than a heart attack. Calling a stroke a "brain attack" helps the public understand this as an extremely serious medical emergency.
According to the NSA, the human brain has 100 billion nerve cells and trillions of nerve connections. To keep cells working properly, the brain needs a lot of oxygen and other nutrients that are supplied by a constant flow of blood. A stroke is the result of a disruption in the flow of blood to the brain. A stroke deprives the brain cells of oxygen and causes them to become damaged or die. While damage to cells can often be repaired, the death of brain cells is permanent and can result in long-term disability.
Prevalence of Strokes
The NSA reports that stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States (after heart disease and cancer), and the number one cause of adult disability. Someone in the United States experiences a stroke every 45 seconds. Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability among Americans age 65 and over.
Stroke and Women
The National Institutes of Health offers the following information about women and stroke:
·Women account for about 50% of the strokes that occur each year in this country. In addition, women account for over 61% of deaths from strokes, possibly because stroke risk increases with age, and women tend to live longer than men.
·Stroke kills two times more American women each year than breast cancer.
·Women over age 30 who smoke and take oral contraceptives have an increased risk of stroke.
·Taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase stroke risk for menopausal women.
·Women are more likely than men to have a stroke within six years of a heart attack.
·Pregnancy and childbirth cause strokes in approximately eight out of 100,000 women.
We Need to Know More about Stroke
NSA-sponsored public surveys have shown that most people are not familiar with the warning signs of strokes and do not know that strokes are preventable. According to the NSA, the most common stroke myths vs. stroke facts are as follows.