Minority Women's Health

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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

1.   Brain Basics: Preventing Stroke — This brochure provides information on stroke prevention. It includes stroke warning signs, an explanation of risk factors, and a description of treatable risk factors.

   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/preventing_stroke.htm

2.   Know Stroke. Know the Signs. Act in Time. — This publication contains information on what a stroke is, the signs of someone having a stroke are, and what can be done to prevent a stroke.

   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/knowstroke.htm

3.   NINDS Stroke Information Page — This online publication discusses the types of stroke, treatment options, and ongoing stroke research.

   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/stroke.htm

4.   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

5. 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

6. Stroke Among Hispanics (Copyright © ASA) — Hispanics have higher rates of hemorrhagic stroke than any other ethnic group. They also are more likely to have strokes at a younger age. This publication discusses some of the possible risk factors that may explain the higher rates.

   http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3030389

7. The Brain — Effects of Stroke (Copyright © AMA) — This colorful diagram of the brain shows the damage a stroke can do. It’s easy to understand, and includes a glossary of stroke-related terms.

   http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/patient-education-materials/atlas-of-human-body/brain-e...

8. Women and Stroke: Unique Symptoms in Women (Copyright © ASA) — Women can experience stroke symptoms that are different from men. This fact sheet describes these unique symptoms and 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

1.   CDC's WISEWOMAN™ - Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation
2.   National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, HHS
3.   National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, HHS
4.   Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS
5. American Heart Association
6. National Stroke Association

= Indicates Federal Resources

Recursos en español

Publicaciones

1.   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

2.   Cómo prevenir un accidente cerebrovascular (Stroke) — Este folleto explica qué es la apoplejía, y cuáles son los síntomas y los factores de riesgo. Anima al lector a intentar a reducir o eliminar los factores de riesgo para prevenir la apoplejía.

   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/spanish/previniendo_la_apoplejia.htm

3. 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

4. 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

1.   Centro de Información de la Oficina de Salud de las Minorías
2.   National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke en español
3.   The Heart Truth en español
4. American Heart Association en español
5. American Stroke Association en español
6. National Stroke Association en español

= Recurso Federal

Current as of December 2007