Facts about Stroke 1 Every 45
seconds, someone in America has a stroke. Every 3.1 minutes, someone dies of
one. Stroke killed an estimated 167, 661 people in 2000 and is the nation’s
third leading cause of death, ranking behind diseases of the heart and all forms
of cancer. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long term disability in the
United States. 2 Stroke is a type of cardiovascular(心血管的)
disease. It affects the arteries(动脉) leading to and within the brain. A stroke
occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients(营养物) to the brain
is either blocked by a clot (凝块) or bursts. When that hap pens, part of the
brain can’t get the blood(and oxygen)it needs, so it starts to die.
3 The brain is an extremely complex organ that controls various body
functions. If a stroke occurs and blood flow can’t reach the region that
controls a particular body function, that part of the body won’t work as it
should. If the stroke occurs toward the back of the brain, for instance, it’s
likely that some disability involving vision will result. The effects of a
stroke depend primarily on the location of the obstruction(阻塞) and the extent of
brain tissue affected. 4 The American Stroke Association has
identified several factors that increase the risk of stroke. The more risk
factors a person has, the greater the chance that he or she will have a stroke.
Some of these you can’t control, such as increasing age, family health history,
race, and prior stroke. But you can change or treat other risk factors to lower
your risk. Factors resulting from lifestyle or environment can be modified with
a healthcare provider’s help. Some of these include.. high blood pressure,
current smoking, heart disease, and high red blood cell count.
A stroke can happen to anyone at any moment. In fact about 600, 000 people have
strokes every year. For many years, there was no hope for those suffering a
stroke. However, recent breakthroughs have led to new treatments. For the
treatments to work, the person must get to a hospital immediately.
A. Effects of a stroke B. Stroke in the US
C. Definition and description of a stroke D.
Breakthroughs in treatment E. Risk factors of stroke
F. Warning signs of a stroke Paragraph 5______