High blood pressure - a killer

More news from New Zealand, a great and friendly country:

Stroke Foundation shocked at numbers with elevated blood pressure:

To mark Stroke Awareness Week, the Stroke Foundation, St John and Lions offered free blood pressure checks on Saturday 12 September at over 100 supermarkets throughout the country. About 12,000 people had their blood pressure checked.

Dr John Fink, Stroke Foundation Medical Advisor, says 46 percent of the blood pressures reported back to the Stroke Foundation were above normal.

"These were people with blood pressures of 140 systolic or higher and 90 diastolic or higher - in many cases, considerably higher. Blood pressure that is consistently above 140 over 90 is considered to be high. Normal blood pressure is around 120 over 80. In general, the lower the better."

(Photo from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

Sounds like a downer until you think about it

For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

-1 Peter 1:24-25

At first reading, Peter sounds like he's giving us a reminder of our own mortality. But think further.

Yes, grass and flowers wither - and they must be. Without withering, renewal cannot take place. The glory of renewal would never be known.

God's word is his promise - accept him, and you, too, will see the ultimate renewal in the proper time. And that's a great word.

(Photo from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources)

'A ransom for many'

Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

-Mark 10:43-45

What better way to describe those people who care for those who lived through a stroke - as they survive, struggle and recover.

God bless the caregivers, the servants - like Christ, they do not come to be served, but serve. Today, pray for a caregiver you know.

World Stroke Day - a prayer

A late note about a day that should be more recognized: World Stroke Day. From the New Zealand Stroke Foundation:

Stroke is the second largest cause of death in the developed world, as it is in New Zealand. On World Stroke Day (29 October) the NZ Stroke Foundation is calling on New Zealanders to attend to their risk of stroke.

"The simple fact is that the majority of strokes are preventable," says Stroke Foundation CEO Mark Vivian. "Making simple lifestyle changes can help prevent stroke.

"Eating a healthy diet with reduced salt, having regular physical activity, not drinking too much alcohol and being smokefree will reduce your risk of stroke. And very importantly, make sure you keep your blood pressure down."

A prayer that people become more aware of stroke prevention efforts, and signs and symptoms.

(Image from Stroke, the journal of the American Stroke Association)

Walking post-stroke can help

As a long-time distance runner, I can attest that moving helps those who experience a stroke. And while I get the gist of the article, must point out that strokes don't always happen to "older" people.

Of course, moving can be limited due to the stroke, but this recent article that walking might be helpful after a stroke:

People who suffer a stroke can substantially improve their ability to get around independently if they take walks a few times a week, according to an updated review of the medical literature.

Strokes often occur in older people who have already lost some fitness and muscle strength. Suffering a stroke may further weaken an older person by causing partial paralysis and other neurological problems.

(Image from General Services Administration)

Good news, bad news for stroke patients

As non-disabled stroke survivor - thanks to quick treatment with the clot-busting drug tissue plasminogen activator - it's good to hear that more stroke victims are receiving that treatment. But there's a lot more work to accomplish because the numbers are still not good enough:

Duke University researchers reviewed records of 428 people brought to U.S. stroke centers in 2001, and 481 patients treated at those centers in 2004. In both years, only 37 percent arrived within two hours of the start of stroke symptoms.

But 37.5 percent of those who arrived during that two-hour window received the clot-busting tPA therapy in 2004, compared to just 14 percent in 2001.

"It's a double-edged sword," said study author Dr. Larry B. Goldstein, director of the Duke Stroke Center, in Durham, N.C. His report is published in the Oct. 1 issue of Stroke.

"The organization of acute stroke care in hospitals has improved, so more patients are actually being treated, but the bad news part of it is that the proportion of patients who show up in time hasn't changed," he said.

Another take on stroke/TIA study

The other day, I posted a note how a transient ischemic attack should be considered a warning about a full-blown stroke.

But on the flip side, that same recent study showed that stroke strikes without warning in majority of patients. So while you should a TIA seriously, the study shows the incredibly importance of taking stroke signs seriously - they can come without warning.

So as always: be aware of stroke signs, and move quickly to get some help!