“Those numbers may seem shocking,” says Paul Kaiser, MD, Medical Director of Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center’s Stroke Program. “The reality is, the numbers show that if you quickly identify a stroke and seek immediate emergency medical attention, you can increase the likelihood of surviving a stroke.”
If caught early enough, patients can benefit from advanced treatment that may reverse the stroke. For example, clot-busting medications must be administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms, and can prevent some of the disabilities a stroke may cause.
Strokes Can Occur at Any Age
While strokes are most common in people age 60 and over, they can occur at any age. Hispanics and African-Americans experience strokes more often than other ethnicities, but anyone with risk factors should remain alert to signs of a stroke.
Risk factors include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Sleep apnea
- Cardiovascular disease
- COVID-19 infection
- Family history of stroke or heart attack
- Smoking
“While you obviously cannot control some of the risk factors, you can control others,” says Dr. Kaiser, who is board certified in neurology and vascular neurology. “By keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and heart conditions under control; not smoking; maintaining a healthy diet; exercising regularly; and reducing stress, you can lower your stroke risk.”
Testing is Available
Princeton Medical Center (PMC) offers advanced carotid Doppler technology, a non-invasive ultrasound technique to assess a patient’s risk for stroke, as well as other neurological imaging studies. Testing is available for individuals at risk for stroke.
Quality Care Close to Home
PMC has been designated a Primary Stroke Center by the state of New Jersey and the Joint Commission, has been ranked high performing in stroke care by U.S. News & World Report, and for the fourth year in a row has earned the AHA/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, recognizing a commitment to the latest evidence-based guidelines for diagnosing and treating patients.
For more information on the Princeton Medical Center Stroke Program visit princetonhcs.org. To find a physician affiliated with Penn Medicine Princeton Health, call 1.888.742.7496, or visit princetonhcs.org/directory.