12 Nation Public misidentifies strokes People do not know risk factors or symptoms study says Strokes Only 57 percent of 1,066 individuals surveyed by the American Medical Association were able to identify even one warning sign. CHICAGO (AP) — Many Americans do not recognize the signs of a stroke in time to get themselves or others po tentially lifesaving treatment now available to thwart Amer ica’s third-leading killer, a new survey found. The only approved stroke-fighting drug became avail able less than two years ago, and it must be given within three hours after a stroke starts — making early detection and immediate treatment vital. “The No. 1 reason people don’t get treated is because they don’t get there in time,” said Dr. Arthur M. Pancioli, lead author in a new survey published in Wednesday’s Jour nal of the American Medical Association. “We’re talking about the leading cause of adult disabil ity, and yet our public really doesn’t understand it,” said Pancioli, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Stroke kills 158,000 people yearly and has left more than one million Americans disabled to some extent, the Amer ican Heart Association says. The AHA said the survey “reinforces information which has been stated many times — the public is not knowledgeable enough about stroke, and in Order to fight stroke, they need to know more about it and what to do when it happens.” Only 57 percent of respondents in the survey—which involved 1,880 people in the Cincinnati area who were typ ical of stroke sufferers in age, sex and race—knew even on e warning sign of stroke, the researchers said. The area is similar to the United States overall in age, sex, percentage of blacks and economic status, researchers said. The warning signs of a stroke are a sudden severe headache; unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or a fall; loss of vision, especially in one eye; difficulty speaking or comprehending; and numbness on one side of the body. Only 68 percent knew even one risk factor for stroke, such as high blood pressure; cigarette smoking; heart dis ease; or a heart-rhythm disturbance called atrial fibrilla tion, the authors said. Up to 80 percent of strokes might be delayed or pre vented by modifying risk factors, Pancioli said, citing pre vious estimates. Until 1996, immediate treatment for strokes did not matter much, because nothing could arrest the rapid progress of damage caused by clots shutting off blood flow to the brain, which account for four-fifths of strokes. But in 1996, the clot-dissolving drug tPA became available, giving physicians their first way to arrest a stroke. “If anyone sees the warning signs, the only thought should be to call 911 and get to an emergency room,” Pancioli said. SYMPTOMS Sudden severe headache with no known cause U Unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls Sudden difficulty speaking or trouble In hundreds of thousanc Heart disease 73:; Cancer Stroke Chronic obs pulmonary c Aci understanding speech Body control SSE&333 Wednesday •Apnl^j Fraternity i in multiplei KANSAS CITY. Kan | nity linked to hazinginves two other universitieste pended at Kansas Stateii cause a pledge wasted paddles and canes. Ernest L. Harris J condition Tuesdaymon%j after a hazing ritual aliei to join the Kappa AlphaPsj the Manhattan campus. Harris suffered kidr? • will force him to undergo Ben Cowley said at a ne*; at the University of to I th YE Leg control Reading Sudden 1 weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg on one side of the body Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye Source: JAMA, American Heart Association. CDC/National Center for Health Statistics * 7 jr Food and Din/ n Scife COFFEE STATION 907-A Harvey Rd. College Station '694-2844 4, TTt&eAa jlatte ' < w (0 X 1? h Dr. Culpepper Plaza CiCi’sl Harvey Rd. _ Arm control Hand control Face control Speech & iter. Such injuries at I Harris could leaver ly next week. Kansas State Uravev he four-memberchapi uty Monday, the first a ing it. 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