Most of us are aware of how serious a stroke can be. It can cause long-term disability and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Each year about 795,000 people suffer a stroke. Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65 and the risk of having one doubles each decade after the age of 55.
And a new study adds to the list of grim statistics: about 14 percent of ischemic strokes (or one in seven) occur during sleep and are considered “wake-up strokes.” (Ischemic strokes occur when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.)
Researchers from the Department of Neurology at the University of Cincinnati, who published their report in the journal Neurology, found that among 1854 ischemic strokes that occurred among residents of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, 273 were wake-up strokes.
The only proven treatment for ischemic stroke is tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), which must be given quickly - within 4.5 hours of the last activator, which must be given within 4.5 hours of the last time a patient was known to be well. That’s why it’s important for anyone who wakes up with symptoms of a stroke to get to the hospital as soon as possible.
