A stroke is far from the minds of many as they contemplate spring break, graduation, summer vacation and their first real job. A stroke is something that happens to older people and not to college students. In the bustle to and from class, it is important to give attention to your health status. Attention to your health status means monitor the foods you eat, the amount of rest you receive and regular visits to the physician for examinations.A stroke is an interruption of the flow of blood to the brain. The brain is the control center and is responsible for providing instructions to our heart to beat and at what rate. The ability to play Chopin’s Polonaise no.6 or to catch the winning touchdown pass is a conversation orchestrated between the nerves and muscles that feature the brain as conductor.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. In 2000, 167,661 people (61% of them women) died due to stroke. This means that approximately 1 of every 14 deaths was caused by stroke. Stroke death rates are considerably higher for African Americans than for whites. In the year 2000, the death rates were 87/100,000 for African American men, 78/100,000 for African American women, 59/100,000 for white men and 58/100,000 for white women . According to the National Center for Health Statistics, stroke was the third leading cause of death for African American women.
It is important for African Americans to know the risk factors that are associated with the high presence of stroke. The risk factors may be divided into two camps (modifiable and non-modifiable). Modifiable risk factors are those items that are treatable or at least partly preventable and non-modifiable risk factors are non-preventable or the treatment value is not established. The modifiable risk factors include hypertension, heart disease, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking and obesity. Non-modifiable risk factors include age, gender and family history. This means that African Americans can do a great deal to protect themselves. The Owens-Franklin student health center is a great place to receive blood pressure screening and information regarding smoking cessation.