A story near to my heart - or brain...

Heard this on NPR Monday morning, during my typical 40-minute run in my neighborhood. It includes a story about one woman's stroke, how time was critical and what we can all learn from it.

Back in 1998, I was blessed to receive tPA, a clot-busting drug. Most, as this report notes, are not quite so fortunate. Read, listen and learn:

Drug can stop strokes, but most patients don't get it

Strokes are the third-ranking cause of death and the leading cause of disability. But most stroke specialists think it doesn't have to be so bad.

The vast majority of strokes are caused by a clot that blocks blood flow to part of the brain. Depending on where, victims suffer dizziness, weakness, numbness, loss of speech or other symptoms. Most of the time, the damage is permanent.

Since 1996 there's been an approved drug called t-PA (for tissue plasminogen activator) that, according to some big studies, can often break up the clot, restore blood flow and prevent much permanent damage —- if the drug is given within a few hours of symptom onset.

Perhaps some success in UK stroke awareness

A United Kingdom stroke awareness effort, launched in February, might have shown some success:

Statistics showed there was a 55% rise in the number of calls about possible stroke symptoms made to ambulance trusts in 2008/09.

Stroke is the cause of death for 9% of males and 13% of females in the UK. 150,000 people in the UK suffer from a stroke every year and a quarter occur in people aged under 65.

The FAST (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) campaign was created by doctors to help people recognise key stroke symptoms and allow emergency staff to identify problems quickly.

The quicker the help, quite often, the better the outcome! No matter where you are.

(Photo via flickr)

Window widens - but still, don't wait

Treating stroke patients with the powerful clot-buster tPA has a wider window:

Last year, European clinical trials found that selected patients still benefit from tPA up to 4 1/2 hours after a stroke.

Now, an advisory from the American Heart Association formally spells out which patients might benefit from later tPA treatment. But the chairman of the committee that issued the advisory -- Gregory J. del Zoppo, MD, professor of medicine and adjunct professor of neurology at University of Washington, Seattle -- warns patients not to misinterpret the statement.

"The message is that stroke patients still need to come in for treatment as soon as possible. There is no benefit in waiting," del Zoppo tells WebMD. "Despite the fact that patients who come in even 3 to 4 1/2 hours after stroke can benefit, they should not wait."

Good words - "should not wait." As someone who was able to receive help right away, I can attest: Even if you think you or someone is showing stroke signs or symptoms, even for the mini-stroke variety, listen to what the doctor said, and don't wait.

Don't wait. Don't wait. Don't wait. And by the way, don't wait

Words to live by - in stroke care, at any rate - from a recent USA Today article about a recent stroke study:

"Don't wait," said Dr. Larry Goldstein, director of Duke University's stroke center and a spokesman for the American Stroke Association. "If you think you are having symptoms, call 911."

Symptoms to watch out for, from the National Stroke Association's F-A-S-T description:

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 sentence. Are the words slurred? Can the person repeat the sentence correctly?

T = Time
• If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital fast. Brain cells are dying.