8 Signs of Strokes in Women: Why Women Have More Strokes

Women Are More Likely to Get Strokes…

Strokes are the third leading cause of death for women. The American Stroke Association reports that about 60% of stroke deaths occur in females, which means that women are more likely to have strokes than men.

Not only that, women are less likely to recognize the signs of stroke or receive immediate medical care.

Interestingly enough, 80% of strokes are preventable with diet, exercise, lifestyle modifications and medical care. It is critical that we understand why women are suffering more strokes, what the signs of strokes in women are, and what we can do to prevent them.

What Causes a Stroke?

Almost 800,000 Americans have strokes every year when a blood clot blocks circulation to the brain, or a blood vessel in the brain bursts. When that happens, brain cells are deprived of oxygen and begin to die. Abilities controlled by that area of the brain, such as memory and muscle control, are lost.
While many people recover fully after a stroke, almost two-thirds of stroke survivors suffer some level of disability. That means that even if a stroke doesn’t kill them, it could leave them disabled (including being paralyzed, or unable to speak, walk or care for themselves), depressed and unable to live independently.
Let’s do something about that. Let’s make strokes a high-priority women’s issue.

Why Are Women So Likely to Get Strokes?

Smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and uncontrolled high blood pressure/cholesterol place everyone at increased risk for having a stroke. However, there are many physical and cultural issues unique to women, which put them at even higher risk and may lead to poorer outcomes.

Women Live Longer

Women generally live longer than men , and incidences of stroke increase as we age. Higher incidences of death and disability may be because women are more likely to live alone later in life, which can delay access to life-saving/brain-saving healthcare. It also means that after a stroke, women are more likely to live in a long-term healthcare facility.

Women Have Different Hormones

Estrogen and progestin in oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy have been linked with increased incidences of stroke. While most women can use hormone replacement therapy with no problems, those who smoke, don’t exercise and/or are obese are at increased risk for having a stroke.

Women Get More Autoimmune Diseases

The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reports that women get autoimmune diseases three times more often than men. Lupus and other inflammatory autoimmune disorders can damage blood vessels and lead to blood clot formation and/or blood vessel rupture.

Women Get More Migraines

The National Stroke Association says that migraines with aura can increase a woman’s stroke risk two and a half times, and most people in the US who suffer migraines are women.

Women Put Themselves Last

Even when they don’t feel well, putting others first comes naturally to many women. Women may hesitate to seek emergency healthcare until after they’ve taken care of family and gotten a few chores out of the way.

Women Aren’t Studied

Throughout most of medical history, studies, tests and treatment for cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, focused primarily on men. They never considered the fact that women’s bodies faced different challenges and risks for stroke, and that women responded differently to treatment.

Women Are Taken Less Seriously

There’s a long history of gender discrimination in healthcare that makes many women gun-shy about getting the care they need. Many women report that healthcare providers belittle or minimize their medical complaints, or reduce their concerns to being anxiety-related or all in their heads. Even when they know something’s wrong, women are less likely to demand further testing or a second opinion  if their healthcare concerns are dismissed.

Women Are Subtle

“Because stroke symptoms in women are more subtle, they’re often not taken seriously,” says  a Dr.

“Furthermore, sometimes when women arrive at the hospital with symptoms, they’re misdiagnosed until it’s too late.”

What Are the Signs of Strokes in Women?

The American Heart Association says you should remember the acronym FAST:

• F- Face Weakness
• A-Arm Weakness
• S-Speech difficulty
• T-Time to call 9-1-1

Dr. adds, “Other stroke symptoms include sudden numbness of the face, arm or leg, sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, trouble walking and sudden headache that feels like the worst headache of your life.”
In addition, the National Stroke Association says that women may report symptoms that are different from those men commonly experience. They include:

• Loss of consciousness or fainting
• General weakness
• Difficulty or shortness of breath
• Confusion, unresponsiveness or disorientation
• Sudden behavioral change
• Agitation
• Hallucination
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pain
• Seizures
• Hiccups

What Should You Do if You Have Stroke Symptoms?

Call 911 immediately. Nobody knows your body better than you do.

 

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6 Early Signs Your Liver Is Damaged

When a liver is working well, it cleans the blood, helps digest food and fights infection. It is also a bit of a bodily superhero — much like Wolverine and Deadpool, it has the power to regenerate when it has been damaged, replacing old tissue with new cells.

“Anything that keeps your liver from doing its job — or from growing back after injury — may put your life in danger,” the doctor warns. That can be inflammation, scarring, cancer or even using too much Tylenol. Although the liver lies on the inside of the body, the body shows outward signs when something is wrong.

Turning yellow
Your skin and the whites of your eyes could turn yellow when the liver isn’t working properly, due to a buildup in the blood of a yellowish substance called bilirubin, according to the doctors. The hospital adds that the yellowing symptom, called jaundice, can occur when the liver’s damage prevents it from processing that bilirubin. Common causes of that kind of liver damage are hepatitis, cancer, drinking too much alcohol, abusing ecstasy, exposure to toxic substances and various infections.

Your bodily waste
Jaundice also changes the color of urine and stool, making the urine dark and the stool pale, the doctor explains.

Itch
The hospital lists liver disease as an underlying cause of itchy skin, as well as kidney failure, thyroid problems and cancer. “The itching usually affects the whole body. The skin may look otherwise normal except for the repeatedly scratched areas.”

Bruises
People with liver damage will bruise or bleed more easily because their liver has slowed or stopped production of proteins that are necessary for blood clotting, the expert says. The liver actually produces several clotting factors, all of which begin to disappear in people with damage to that organ.

Swelling
When the liver isn’t able to do its job, people may start to retain water in their abdomens and legs, causing swelling, according to the doctors.

No signs
In some cases, there just isn’t any indication that something is going wrong. The doctor warns that up to half of those with liver disease show no signs. And in the cases that mild symptoms present themselves, the most common ones “are very nonspecific and they include fatigue or excessive tiredness, lack of drive, occasionally itching.”

Once a person progresses beyond those early symptoms, the damage to the liver and the side effects become more serious. The doctor explains people may have the blood vessels leading to their livers burst, toxins could build up in their brains and interfere with mental function, and they could experience nausea and diarrhea. “As liver failure progresses, the symptoms become more serious,” the foundation says. “The patient may become confused and disoriented, and extremely sleepy. There is a risk of coma and death.” At that point, a liver transplant may be the only option, so it’s important to try to identify the signs of liver damage early.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/       
                                                                                                                                                                      FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           
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