A few years ago, a dear friend of mine who is the principle at a public school was ending the day with bus duty when he started feeling strange. He said it was like suddenly coming down with the flu. But he had a staff meeting to run and just trudged through the afternoon anyway. Not long after he began the meeting, things got pretty weird. I don’t think he remembers much of it, but a teacher sitting at the table was intimately familiar with stroke symptoms. She quickly identified my friend’s odd behavior and movements as signs of a stroke. An emergency call was immediately made. Had more time passed, my friend could be a pretty rough shape today or possibly even dead. Instead, after some healing and therapy, he functions pretty well.
You might even remember when country music singer Randy Travis suffered a stroke in 2013. He flatlined three times and his physicians even advised taking him off life support. You’ve probably heard similar stories yourself, considering the volume of people who suffer stroke. The Siteman Cancer Center says that “each year there are about 600,000 strokes in the US, and strokes kill over 150,000 Americans each year. Over 15% of people who have had a stroke die within 30 days, and 15-30% of people who survive a stroke are permanently disabled.”
Higher Stroke Risk for Women
Would you believe that women are actually at greater risk for stroke than men? In fact, it’s the third leading cause of death in women. The National Institutes of Health says that “more women than men suffer a stroke each year. Although many of the risk factors for stroke are the same for men and women, including a family history of stroke, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, some risk factors are unique to women. These include:
- Taking birth control pills
- Being pregnant
- Using hormone replacement therapy, a combined hormone therapy of progestin and estrogen designed to relieve menopausal symptoms
- Having frequent migraine headaches
- Having a thick waist (larger than 35.2 inches), particularly if post-menopausal, and high triglyceride (blood fat) levels
Sadly, women who have lupus are also at an increased risk for stroke. If you find all of this surprising, would you believe that there are even stroke symptoms that are specific to women?
Basic Signs of Stroke
You have probably heard that every minute counts during a stroke. In fact, the National Stroke Association says, “The most effective stroke treatments are only available if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within the first three hours of the first symptoms.” That’s why calling 911 immediately is imperative and can potentially save a life. The Siteman Cancer Center tells you the standard things to look for:
- Sudden weakness or numbness in your face, body, arms or legs, especially if only one side is affected
- Sudden loss of vision or problems seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden confusion, inability to speak or understand what others are saying
- Sudden dizziness, instability or inability to stand, walk or coordinate movement
- Sudden severe, unexplained headache
Unique Symptoms to Women
So, it turns out that treatment for women is often delayed because certain symptoms are not recognized as being related to stroke. For example, one survey found that out of 1,000 women, only ten of them knew that hiccups that occur with chest pain are an early indicator of stroke. The National Stroke Association says that the following are symptoms unique to women:
- Loss of consciousness or fainting
- General weakness
- Difficulty or shortness of breath
- Confusion, unresponsiveness or disorientation
- Sudden behavioral change
- Agitation
- Hallucination
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain
- Seizures
- Hiccups
The irony here is that women tend to think of stroke as a male problem. But the reality is that 60% of stroke cases are women. So, what should women do to prevent stroke?
Prevention for Women
Recalling the extra risk factors listed above that pertain to women, the National Stroke Association advises the following:
- Women who experience migraines with aura and smoke are advised to stop smoking immediately.
- Women who are pregnant should monitor their blood pressure during and after pregnancy to lower the risk of stroke.
- Women over 75 should be screened for Atrial Fibrillation
- Women should be screened for high blood pressure prior to starting a birth control regimen.
- Women with concerns about high blood pressure or stroke should consult a doctor.
Are you a woman who experienced stroke? Do you know a woman who did? Was there a delay in treatment because the symptoms weren’t obvious?
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