Understanding Stroke: Types, Risks, and Prevention Strategies

Chronic Disease/Stroke Elaine Nassar Southern New Hampshire University PHE 101: Introduction to Public Health 1

Background  The topic being covered is a stroke and is a medical condition where poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death.  Two types of Strokes: Ischemic and Hemorrhagic  Curable and Preventable  Medical treatment to help with symptoms and effects • For my topic, I chose to discuss the public health issue that is related to chronic illnesses because these are one of the most preventable diseases. I chose the topic of strokes because I have had a few family members who have suffered from one and still experience the long-term effects of having one. Knowing that things such as being inactive and smoking contribute to this type of illness and this is more prominent in older individual, men and have a history of strokes in their family. (John Hopkins Medicine, 2024) There are two types of strokes recognized which include both ischemic and hemorrhagic. (Nall, 2018) Ischemic is more prevalent and is when a blood clot lodges in the brain and blocks blood flow to various parts of the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke is when a blood vessel in your brain breaks open and causes blood to accumulate and the severity is most of the time contingent upon the location and the number of brain cells effected. • Because of various risk factors, this illness effects a vast majority of populations, but the good news is that it is preventable by receiving treatment and taking preventable measures like physical exercise, medications, discontinuing smoking and having a healthy diet. A stroke continues to be the leading cause of disability in the U.S. and almost 80 percent are preventable. Keeping others educated on the risk factors and receiving surgeries that have been discovered if an individual has experienced one of the two types of strokes are measures that can be taken to combat this chronic disease. Those who have a history of strokes themselves or within their family should 2

be especially careful and take preventative measures and educate themselves of the innovative treatments that have now been created to treat the condition and minimize complications. 2

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Background  No one is exempt from the condition, but some groups of individuals are more vulnerable to this condition.  These populations include men, those over the age of 55, African Americans and Hispanics  The main goal is to prevent a stroke but if that is not possible, to provide resources and treatment for those suffering from the effects of one.  Keep educated on the condition • Anyone can suffer from stroke, but this type of illness doesn’t subject itself to just one group of individuals, but some are more susceptible to others since it is a preventable condition. The populations that are affected the most are men more than women, but women are more likely to die of a stroke than a man. (Nall, 2018) African Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk of a stroke than people of other races. • The goal of those researching and providing public health to those who suffer from strokes or are susceptible to them due to genetics is to both prevent the occurrence of one and to treat and live with the long-term effects of this type of condition. In today's world, in the United States, there are so many technological and medical advances, that dealing and recovering from stroke is not impossible and you can still maintain a good quality of life, and this includes things that can help identify them such as an MRI. For example, there are a few surgeries that have been identified that can help those who have recently suffered from a stroke and must be performed right way and includes medicines and therapy to reduce brain swelling, clot-busting medicines and many more. (John Hopkins Medicine, 2024) There are many risk factors that have been identified that can educate the community and environment on what measures to take to prevent the onset of one. Knowing the symptoms of a stroke can help you identify and receive help quicker and an example of this includes weakness or numbness of the face, problems with vision, having trouble speaking or standing and a few others but it also varies upon the person. (John Hopkins, 2024) 3

Patterns, Causes, and Effects  Patterns: Age  Causes Physical Health  Effects Cognition • The common patterns in those who suffer from strokes include people who are inactive and do not move around much. What they all have in common too is their age so although it is possible to suffer from a stroke at a younger age, it usually is more often to effect individuals who are in their older adulthood or elderly. • There are many causes to strokes in individuals but in the U.S., the leading causes include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, and diabetes. (CDC, 2023) With that being noted, most of these causes can be prevented through healthy living and taking care of ones’ mental health. • The effects of both types of strokes can linger on an individual afterwards for a long time and bring on other issues. Some of these include impaired speech, restricted physical abilities, weakness in limbs, problems with thinking or memory and can also have issues with swallowing. Although many can survive from a stroke, the effects are the worst part of the disease. Others can also experience hallucination and dysphoria. My uncle that had suffered from a stroke had experienced the impaired speech and it took him a long time to become as physically strong as he once was. 4

Social Determinants and Known Disparities SDOH Social and Commu nity Health and Healthca re Neighborhood/ Environment Economic Stability Education • There are many social determinants that play a factor into the public health issue of strokes however, age, race and gender are mentioned the most. The National health disparities data for cardiovascular disease outcomes identified several social determinants of health (SDOH) that may help explain stroke disparities which include low education, low income, living in an impoverished area, residence in an area with relatively few healthcare services, living in rural areas, social isolation, and lacking health insurance. (Reshetnyak et al, 2020) Specifically, the conclusion of a study done by researchers, they found that adults aged over 75 years with a number of social determinant factors have three times a risk of suffering from a stroke compared to those in the same age group with no determinants. (Reshetnyak et al, 2020) With that being said, targeting individuals who show several social determinants could reduce the risk of stroke among vulnerable locations. 5

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Public Health Interventions (Milestone Three)  [Public Health Intervention 1]  [Theoretical basis of intervention]  [Identify as Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary]  [Which social determinants addressed] [Speaker notes: Elaborate on the above bullet points–see rubric for details.] 6

Public Health Interventions (Milestone Three)  [Public Health Intervention 2]  [Theoretical basis of intervention]  [Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary]  [Which social determinant addressed] [Speaker notes: Elaborate on the above bullet points–see rubric for details.] 7

Public Health Response (Milestone Four)  [State the public health organizations (national and local) involved and their role]  [State the public health sub-disciplines involved within these organizations]  [State the services/programs these organization provide to respond to public health issue] [Speaker notes: elaborate on who has responded to the public health issue and how ⎼ see rubric for details.] 8

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Effectiveness  [Effectiveness of past and current responses:]  [Obstacles to meeting goals:]  [Theoretical public health framework–how work and advantages:] [Speaker notes: elaborate on how effective past and current responses have been, what keeps these organizations from meeting their goals and discuss the unique perspective that public health theoretical frameworks provide in addressing the issue–see rubric for details.] 9

Ethical Reflection  [Response to: Is public health response equitable?]  [Response to: Conditions in the community improved?] [Reflect on the connections between the public health response to this issue and broader ethical questions of social justice, poverty, and systematic disadvantage. Specifically, how does the response help to improve conditions for people in their communities?] 10

References  Nall, R. (2018, September 21). History of stroke: Everything you want to know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/stroke/history-of- stroke#:~:text=Early%20description%20of%20stroke,- Though%20doctors%20now&text=Centuries%20later%20in%20t he%201600s,others%2C%20the%20arteries%20were%20blocked .  Stroke. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2024). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and- diseases/stroke  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 4). Stroke facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm#:~:text=High%20blood%2 0pressure%2C%20high%20cholesterol,of%20these%20conditions %20or%20habits.&text=Learn%20how%20to%20take%20steps% 20to%20prevent%20stroke Use APA style 11

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