Myth vs Fact

1. MYTH: Strokes only happen to elderly people. Fact: “It’s true that as we get older, our risk for stroke goes up,” says Eric Bershad, MD, a neurointensivist with St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and a vascular neurologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. However, there’s also an increasing number of strokes in people between the ages of 18 and 65, so to say that strokes only occur in the elderly is false. The increased risk for stroke in younger people is linked to the growing incidence of obesity and high blood pressure in this age group, Dr. Bershad says.

2. MYTH: Strokes are rare. Fact: Stroke statistics reveal that strokes are quite common. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 million Americans have had a stroke. “And stroke is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.,” Bershad says.

3. MYTH: A stroke takes place in the heart. Fact: “A stroke takes place in the brain,” Dr. Rybinnik explains. “The nervous cells in the brain, called neurons, require blood flow and the nutrients and oxygen in blood to survive and function. If the blood supply to the neurons in the brain is cut off either because of a blood clot or a disease of the blood vessels, those neurons die. That’s what a stroke is.”

4. MYTH: Strokes aren’t preventable. Fact: “The notion that strokes can’t be prevented is a giant myth,” Rybinnik says. “One of the biggest studies on stroke, called the International Stroke Study, examined risk factors and found that 90 percent of strokes can be attributed to vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity — and all of which are preventable to a large extent.”

5. MYTH: Strokes can’t be treated. Fact: The vast majority of strokes are ischemic, which are caused by a clot, and they can be treated. “If a person comes in within 4 and a half hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, we can give a clot-busting medication called tissue plasminogen activator that may prevent or possibly reverse damage that would’ve been done by the stroke,” Rybinnik says.

6. MYTH: The most common sign of a stroke is pain. Fact: “Only about 30 percent of people will have a headache with ischemic stroke, so pain isn’t a reliable symptom,” Bershad says. The most common symptoms of stroke include sudden onset of numbness or weakness on one side, double vision, confusion, lack of coordination, and trouble understanding what someone is saying.

7. MYTH: Strokes aren’t hereditary. Fact: “Strokes do run in families,” Rybinnik says. “The vascular risk factors for stroke, such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, all have a genetic component. And the more rare causes of stroke in younger people, such as cardiac tumors, clotting disorders, and abnormalities with blood vessels, can also be passed down from generation to generation.”

9. MYTH: Smoking doesn’t affect your chances of having a stroke. Fact: “Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for stroke, especially in younger people,” Bershad says. “This is true for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, as well as first-time and recurrent strokes.”

10. MYTH: Stroke recovery only happens in the first few months after a stroke. Fact: “While most of the healing takes place in the first few months, recovery can span up to two years,” Bershad says. “And some studies even suggest that people can benefit from physical therapy and other treatments a few years after a stroke originally took place.”