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Delays Block WomenÃs Access to Stroke Treatment; Arriving by Ambulance Speeds Care
ST. PAUL, MN -- Women stroke victims get to the hospital and are evaluated more slowly than men, making them less likely to receive treatment, according to a study published in the August issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The study also found that patients who use an ambulance arrive and are evaluated faster than patients who use a private car.
Reducing delays is crucial to treatment. The only treatment for acute stroke must be given within three hours after the first stroke symptoms.
"The number one reason people donÃt get treated for stroke is that they donÃt make it within that time window," said neurologist and study author Lewis Morgenstern, MD, of the University of Texas, Houston.
Women take 46 percent longer to get to the hospital after a stroke than men, according to the study of 241 stroke patients admitted to Hermann Hospital in Houston. Once there, it took 49 percent longer on average for women to see a doctor.
The study showed that patients who use an ambulance arrive and are evaluated 55 percent faster than those who use a private car. "Not only did they arrive at the hospital faster, but they were also seen faster by the physician," Morgenstern said. "People need to call 911 at the first symptom of stroke."
One reason for the delays for women may be that stroke is thought of as a male disease, so people donÃt recognize womenÃs symptoms as signs of stroke, Morgenstern said. In Texas, women make up 61 percent of all stroke deaths. In the study, 5.5 percent of men and 12 percent of women died from their strokes.
"Everyone from doctors to family and friends needs to realize that women are at great risk for this disease, and we need to get them to the hospital faster and to see them faster once they arrive," he said.
Warning signs for stroke include: ∑ Weakness, numbness or paralysis on one side of the body ∑ Blurry vision or loss of vision ∑ Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech ∑ Dizziness or loss of balance or coordination ∑ Sudden, severe headache Risk factors for stroke include: ∑ High blood pressure ∑ Smoking ∑ Heart disease ∑ Diabetes ∑ High cholesterol
Improving care for patients with neurological disorders through education and research is the goal of the American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 15,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals. - end -
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