The Best Ways to Prevent a Stroke | Ask Cleveland Clinic's Expert
Aug 26, 2023
The Best Ways to Prevent a Stroke | Ask Cleveland Clinic's Expert
Strokes are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. In fact, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds.https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.11 …https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/men.htm and https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/women.htm https://www.youtube.com/user/Clevelan …
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0 -> - My name is Dr. Khawaja.
1.6 -> I'm a stroke neurologist
at Cleveland Clinic,
3.33 -> and I specialize in treating strokes
7.49 -> and cerebrovascular disease
at Cleveland Clinic.
16.31 -> So a stroke is a medical emergency,
18.76 -> and it happens when blood
flow to the brain stops.
22.47 -> And when that happens,
23.32 -> it can cause all different
types of symptoms.
25.63 -> It can affect someone's
speech, language, vision,
29.14 -> balance, strength, sensation.
36.61 -> There are two main types of strokes:
39.44 -> one is ischemic and the
other is hemorrhagic.
42.41 -> And ischemic stroke is far more common
44.82 -> and occurs when blood flow
to the brain is interrupted
47.61 -> by a clot or occlusion.
49.23 -> And when that happens,
51.03 -> the effected part of the brain
52.67 -> that doesn't receive blood
flow basically stops working.
56.29 -> The other type of stroke is hemorrhagic,
58.7 -> and that occurs when an artery
60.91 -> in the brain basically bursts.
63.04 -> And that causes bleeding
in and around the brain.
65.52 -> And the brain does not
like any kind of blood
67.41 -> that's not in the arteries.
68.8 -> It can cause irritation.
73.56 -> There are modifiable risk factors,
75.32 -> and then there's
non-modifiable risk factors.
77.17 -> So things that we can't
necessarily change:
80.29 -> our age, our genetics,
and then our gender.
83.9 -> We know that at certain ages
85.45 -> men have a higher risk of stroke.
87.74 -> And then women can have
a higher risk of stroke.
90.86 -> Then there are the
modifiable risk factors:
93.13 -> things such as high blood
pressure, high cholesterol,
96.63 -> diabetes, obesity, atrial fibrillation,
100.9 -> smoking, alcohol use.
103.49 -> Some of the most common cause of stroke
105.07 -> include things such as
high blood pressure,
107.67 -> which is often referred
to as the silent killer.
111.05 -> People don't know they
have high blood pressure.
112.76 -> And really the only way to
know is if it's checked,
115.28 -> either at home by yourself
116.56 -> or when you go to your doctor's office.
119.07 -> Atrial fibrillation is also something
120.78 -> that sometimes we discover only
when patients have a stroke,
124.21 -> and that's an irregular heart rhythm.
125.72 -> Some people will feel palpitations
128.02 -> or kind of a racing of the heart.
130.7 -> A major risk factor is also smoking.
132.63 -> And so stopping smoking can significantly
134.79 -> reduce the risk of stroke.
139.124 -> When a stroke happens, it
is of the upmost importance
141.79 -> to get evaluated in an emergency room
145.43 -> to receive lifesaving and
disability-sparing treatments.
149.74 -> It is better to call 911
151.24 -> than to try to drive
it to the ER yourself,
154.28 -> if time permits, and get evaluated
156.94 -> because there are certain medications
158.68 -> and certain procedures that we can do.
160.9 -> But those medications and
procedures are all time-based,
164.81 -> and they work better if we're
able to get to people sooner.
171.44 -> One of those major
treatments is Alteplase,
174.54 -> and the other treatment
is endovascular therapy.
178.28 -> With Alteplase or Tenecteplase,
181.34 -> these are medicines that we're
able to give through the IV
184.1 -> that break up clots.
185.23 -> I like to think of it
as Drano for the body.
187.53 -> We're able to inject it,
188.71 -> and it finds the clots
and it breaks them up.
190.44 -> And it's been shown to improve outcomes.
192.55 -> Endovascular therapy, it's
like kind of snaking a drain,
195.51 -> where you take a catheter and
you move it all the way up
198.1 -> into the brain and you pull a clot out.
200.41 -> And that treatment has been shown
201.93 -> to be extremely effective
in reducing disability
206.12 -> related to stroke.
210.65 -> Stroke is very preventable.
212.65 -> And one of the easiest
ways to prevent a stroke
214.72 -> is to know what your risk factors are
217.16 -> and live a healthy lifestyle.
219.33 -> We're noting that more
and more young people
221.9 -> are having strokes every year.
224.62 -> And it's something that
is no longer a disease
227.51 -> of the elderly, that we're seeing patients
229.68 -> in their 20s, 30s, 40s.
231.97 -> Even children, unfortunately,
can have strokes.
234.92 -> And so it's very important to ensure
237.27 -> that you have regular follow-up,
240.6 -> annual visits with your physician,
244.45 -> just to make sure that
everything is on track.
247.62 -> And then if you do have risk factors,
249.36 -> to make sure that you
are actively managing it.
252.37 -> So it's important for you to
be active in your own care.
256.01 -> You yourself are also
managing your blood pressure,
258.84 -> and you yourself are
taking steps to ensure
261.27 -> that everything is well controlled.
264.49 -> And not only that,
265.43 -> the pills alone really don't help
267.48 -> unless you're also living
a healthy lifestyle.
270.83 -> So eating right, exercising regularly,
275.429 -> and also kind of tracking your weight
276.79 -> to make sure that your
weight is within the target.
280.302 -> (bright music)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3nxjmJ-9GI
