Stroke

Minority Women's Health > Hispanic Americans/Latinas > Health Topics > Stroke

Resources in English
Recursos en español

On average, someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 45 seconds. A stroke happens when part of the brain doesn't get the blood it needs. Strokes can kill brain cells. This may cause a person to lose control of their speech, movement, and memory.

Cardiovascular disease, which includes both heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death for Hispanic/Latina women. Among Hispanics/Latinos, the risk of stroke is 1.3 times higher at ages 35-64 than for non-Hispanics. There are other medical problems that put you more at risk for a stroke, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, having already had a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA), and carotid artery disease. Carotid artery disease happens when the artery that delivers blood to the brain becomes blocked.

A stroke happens fast. Most people have two or more signs.

The most common signs are:

sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (mainly on one side of the body)
sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance
sudden confusion or trouble talking or understanding speech
sudden bad headache with no known cause

Women may also have these symptoms:

sudden face and arm or leg pain
sudden hiccups
sudden nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
sudden tiredness
sudden chest pain
sudden shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
sudden pounding or racing heartbeat

If you have any of these symptoms, call 911.

Take these steps to help prevent a stroke:

Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. For help along the way, check out our Quitting Smoking section.
Keep a healthy weight.
Get moving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, most days of the week. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walk during breaks at work.
Eat right. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) and blood glucose (sugar).

Resources in English

Publications

Brain Basics: Preventing Stroke - This brochure provides information on stroke prevention and how to tell the signs of a stroke. It includes warning signs, an explanation of risk factors, and a description of treatable risk factors.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/preventing_stroke.htm
Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time - This publication contains information on what a stroke is, what the signs of someone having a stroke are, and what can be done to prevent stroke.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/knowstroke.htm
NINDS Stroke Information Page - This on-line publication discusses stroke, the treatment options, and ongoing research. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the part of the brain is suddenly interrupted (ischemic) or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding the brain cells (hemorrhagic).
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm
Stroke - This fact sheet provides information on strokes and offers tips for stroke prevention. It also gives a list of warning signs that may indicate a stroke is happening.
http://www.niapublications.org/agepages/stroke.asp
Higher Risk Factors for Hispanic Women Require Added Attention to Heart Health (Copyright © AHA) - This publication highlights the risk factors for developing heart disease and stroke that are present among Latina women. It provides links to Spanish and English publications for women about both heart disease and stroke.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1010
Stroke Among Hispanics (Copyright © ASA) - This publication provides information about stroke among Hispanics. Hispanics have a different prevalence of risk factors for stroke when compared with non-Hispanic whites. This sheet provides a list of risk factors for stroke that exist for Hispanics.
http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030389
The Brain - Effects of Stroke (Copyright © AMA) - The American Medical Association (AMA) offers a colorful and easy-to-understand diagram of the brain and how it is affected by a stroke. A glossary is also included on this page that provides explanations of the scientific terms used in describing the effects of stroke on the brain.
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/7146.html
Women and Stroke: Unique Symptoms in Women (Copyright © ASA) - This fact sheet describes the unique symptoms that women may experience when having a stroke, in comparison to the general symptoms that both men and women may experience. It also provides guidelines on how to act "F.A.S.T." and respond to an emergency situation.
http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=WOMSYMP

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Recursos en español

Publicaciones

Apoplejía : Factores de riesgo y síntomas - Este recurso (en forma de marcador de páginas), advierte sobre los factores que pueden ocasionar la apoplejía y las síntomas que pueden indicar que alguien esté sufriendo una apoplejía y necesite ayuda médica de emergencia.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spanish/apoplejia.htm
Cómo prevenir un accidente cerebrovascular (Stroke) - Esta folleto explica qué es la apoplejía, y cuáles son los síntomas y los factores de riesgo de ella. Anima al lector que intente a reducir o eliminar los factores de riesgo para prevenir la apoplejía.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spanish/previniendo_la_apoplejia.htm
Ataques al Cerebro (Copyright © American Stroke Association) - Esta publicación contiene información sobre los ataques al cerebro, por qué ocurren, los tipos de ataques. También incluye los factores de riesgo, y los factores que uno puede controlar y los que uno no puede controlar. Habla de las medidas que uno puede tomar para prevenir un ataque cerebral y si es posible detener un ataque cerebral en curso.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030257
Señales de aviso (Copyright © American Stroke Association) - Esta publicación contiene las señales de aviso de un ataque al corazón y de un ataque al cerebro y lo que uno debe hacer.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3028873

Organizaciones

= Recurso Federal

Current as of December 2007