Dr. Dean Edell: It's the third leading cause of death in America and yes, stroke often catches its victims by surprise. It doesn't have to be that way. Knowing the risks, the warning signs and even preventive screenings can help lower your risk of stroke. It strikes suddenly.
Bill Journey: I was just sitting there and I looked up and I was seeing the lights going round and round.
Dr. Dean Edell: And leaves debilitating results. Every 45 seconds someone just like Bill Journey is caught off guard.
Bill Journey: I said, oh! You got to be kidding. I said that, I did have a stroke, I just got to running this morning, don't tell me it's a stroke.
Dr. Dean Edell: Behind heart attack and cancer, stroke is the number three cause of death in America and the leading cause of long-term disability.
William Pearce: Most of the public doesn't recognize the complications associated with strokes.
Dr. Dean Edell: If you have hypertension, arterial blockage, diabetes or high cholesterol, you could be at risk.
Robert Zwolak: The risk for stroke, in fact, is very similar to the risk for other cardiovascular diseases. In addition for stroke, people who have irregular heartbeats called Atrial Fibrillation are at a substantial risk for stroke.
Dr. Dean Edell: How can you find out?
Rita Burns: I was getting cleared for a surgery for my lung and that's when they found it.
Dr. Dean Edell: It was by accident that Rita Burns (ph) discovered she was at risk.
Rita Burns: It was a blockage. Had I not had a surgery, I might have stroked down or something.
Dr. Dean Edell: Rita was lucky. A blocked carotid artery was discovered and treated, her risk for stroke minimized.
William Pearce: Well, the number of strokes are increasing because the population is aging.
Dr. Dean Edell: That's why the American Vascular Association urges patients with risk factors to get screened. There are three places to look for trouble.
William Pearce: The scan of the carotid artery is a simple ultrasound in which we look at the blood flow in the artery and we can see the area that's blocked by the plaque.
Dr. Dean Edell: An ankle-brachial test screens for peripheral arterial disease.
Male Speaker: It's going to feel very similar to a blood pressure test.
Dr. Dean Edell: Here a blood pressure reading is taken at the ankle and compared to a reading of the arm.
Male Speaker: We are checking for plaque buildup down in the arteries of the legs that could be causing blockages.
William Pearce: The pressure on the arm and the pressure on the foot should be equal. If it's not equal, that tells us that there is a blockage in the leg artery.
Dr. Dean Edell: And even looking inside the abdomen can yield clues.
Female Speaker: We are looking at aortas, it's the main artery that comes off of the heart.
Dr. Dean Edell: Sometimes an aneurysm or ballooning of the aorta can take place and cause structural weakness. Small clots can break off causing stroke or the vessel can rupture.
Robert Zwolak: If we find an aortic aneurysm, before it ruptures, we have a 98% chance of fixing that aneurysm. If we don't find your aortic aneurysm, and it ruptures, there is about 80% chance you're going to die.
Dr. Dean Edell: So, why isn't screening routine?
William Pearce: The recognition that a blocked carotid artery is associated with the stroke and maybe underestimated by most physicians. It's not reimbursed by most governmental or insurance agencies.
Dr. Dean Edell: But patients can take matters into their own hands.
Robert: My name is Robert and I am going to be checking the carotid arteries in your neck here.
Dr. Dean Edell: Across the country, churches, community organizations and health clubs provide access to test outside a hospital setting. Bringing trained screeners and high-tech equipment to places where people gather.
Robert: I am going to check the carotid arteries, and the main arteries that feed the face and the brain, main arteries that are related to strokes.
Dr. Dean Edell: Mobile ultrasound companies provide the service, they can perform the carotid ultrasound screening, ankle-brachial test, screens for abdominal aortic aneurysm, and even osteoporosis, all in the same day.
Female Speaker: This made it easier, that's why I did it.
Andrew Manganaro: The only exception of that is if we find, what we call, critical disease, then the patient is given the results right then and they are told to see their physician within 24 hours.
Dr. Dean Edell: Leeroy Moller (ph) says the screening saved his life.
Leeroy Moller: But the ultrasound picked up a blockage and they were concerned about that.
Dr. Dean Edell: He went immediately to his doctor.
Leeroy Moller: And the doctor said that I have a ticking time bomb, it's not a matter if I am going to have a stroke, it's a matter of when next week I am going to have one.
Dr. Dean Edell: It's important for people to act on the results.
Andrew Manganaro: Take the information whether it's positive or negative, and take it to their doctor.
Dr. Dean Edell: Preventive treatments can vary based on the severity of risk.
William Pearce: If a patient presents with 70% blockage in the neck, that patient could be considered for either a surgical repair or potentially carotid stenting, less than 60% and if the patient has not symptoms then the patient should be watched.
Dr. Dean Edell: Antiplatelet and lipid lowering medications may be prescribed, just as they might for prevention of heart attack.
William Pearce: You can make an invention that will prolong their life, both stroke free as well as circulation in the lower extremities.
Leeroy Moller: I am here alive today, ain't I? Of course, I think it was late, but it saved my life.
Dr. Dean Edell: Test to determine your risk for stroke can run from $50-$150. However, in some cases a partial screening maybe available as part of a normal office visit. Consult your physician as to your need for the screening and their ability to perform them.
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