Vim & Vigor - Summer 2018 - Gwinnett Medical Center - 56

ACT F.A.S.T.

WOMEN AT
SPECIAL RISK

FOR STROKE
BY ABBEY BROWN

56

SU M M ER 2 0 1 8

* Migraine

headaches with aura.
Experiencing migraine headaches can
increase a woman's stroke risk two and
a half times.
* Pregnancy. It's typically an exciting
time for moms-to-be, but pregnancy puts
an incredible amount of stress on the
body. It's normal for blood pressure to be
higher during pregnancy, but sometimes,
it can become too high. Also, women are
in a hypercoagulable state after giving
birth, meaning they make more clots,
causing stroke concern.
Despite the key differences between
men and women when it comes to stroke
factors, stroke prevention remains the
same. "Knowing your individual risk
factors, getting regular screenings and
making necessary lifestyle changes are
all key to preventing stroke," says Susan
Gaunt, MS, APRN, stroke clinical nurse
specialist for the Center for Neuroscience
at Gwinnett Medical Center.
According to Gaunt, there are several
things women can do to lower their risk
for stroke:

WEBSITE

We Know Stroke
There's no denying that stroke is
dangerous, but it's treatable, and
most importantly, preventable.
To learn more about stroke,
visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.
org/stroke.

* Manage additional risk factors.
Quit smoking, monitor blood pressure
and consult with your primary care
provider regularly.
* Get moving and eat a healthy and
balanced diet. Physical activity and
healthy eating (e.g., the Mediterranean
diet) has a positive impact on stroke
risk, as well as overall health.
* Maintain a healthy weight or lose
weight. Obesity increases stroke risk
due to the increased stress on the heart.
* Limit or manage stress. While
this is often easier said than done, stress
is a major cause for stroke because
it increases the potential for other risk
factors. The less you have in your life,
the better. ■

PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES

Let's state the obvious. Men
and women are different.
We all know this. So it makes
sense that some serious health conditions
impact men and women differently.
Take stroke, for instance.
Did you know that, each year, 55,000
more women have a stroke than men? In
fact, stroke is the third-leading cause of
death for women. (It's fifth for men.)
While some stroke risk factors,
like hypertension, heart disease and
diabetes, apply to both men and women,
there are some risk factors unique to
women. Here are four of them:
* Longer lifespan. Women tend
to live longer than men, so the negative
effects of stroke have more impact on
their lives.
* Birth control and hormone
replacement therapy. Using oral
contraceptives or hormone replacement
therapy in conjunction with other risk
factors, like age, smoking, high blood
pressure or diabetes, makes stroke
more likely.

When it comes to stroke care and
treatment, it's all about time. The sooner
a person receives treatment, the less longterm damage will be done to the brain.
That's why it's important to know the
signs of stroke. Remember, the sooner
you spot these symptoms, the sooner you
can get emergency medical care.
If you suspect a stroke, act F.A.S.T:
F-Face: Ask the person to smile. Does
one side of the face droop?
A-Arms: Ask the person to raise both
arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S-Speech: Ask the person to repeat a
simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred
or strange?
T-Time: If you observe any of these
signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.
http://gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/stroke http://gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/stroke
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