#TBT: Stroke Awareness Month & the Value of Investment in Health Care

As part of our “Throwback Thursday” blog series, we’re taking a look at a topic that’s currently in the news and tagging it with previous research, videos or commentaries in a relevant way. As the saying goes, “what’s old is new again” – and we hope you enjoy our wonky twist on #TBT.

Did you know that every 40 seconds someone has a stroke? According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), stroke is the leading cause of disability, and the number five cause of death in the U.S. Given the impact of stroke on victims and their families, May is designated Stroke Awareness Month, a time to highlight prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

In 2004, a group of health care organizations comprising AdvaMed, the American College of Cardiology, American Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, Healthcare Leadership Council, National Pharmaceutical Council, and PhRMA published, “Value of Investment in Health Care: Better Care, Better Lives” (and our #TBT pick of the week).

The study looked at the significant advances made over the last few decades in the U.S. health care system that have helped people live longer and better lives in four health conditions: heart attack, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, stroke.

The publication notes the remarkable differences in stroke-related care between 1970 and 2000 to improve diagnosis, reduce stroke-associated neurological deficits (e.g., loss of speech or movement), avoid complications, and provide effective secondary prevention. According to the study authors, more patients:

• Recognize the symptoms of stroke and arrive at the hospital more quickly after the onset of symptoms;
• Are discharged to acute and sub-acute rehabilitation facilities, instead of nursing homes;
• Start speech and physical therapy interventions much earlier;
• Receive vascular (vessel) and brain imaging, which dramatically improves the ability to diagnose and treat stroke patients;
• Obtain more effective drugs, such as clopidogrel (in combination with aspirin), which is routinely used in the short-term to prevent stroke; and
• Show minimal, or even no, disability following a stroke due to the use of recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) immediately following stroke.

While these treatment developments have vastly improved the survival rates of stroke, the chances of surviving are even higher if the stroke is identified and treated immediately.

ASA has generated an acronym, F.A.S.T. (Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 9-1-1), that helps individuals recognize when they are having a stroke. Want to learn more about supporting American Stroke Month? Visit their website for tools and resources.