One out of every seven strokes is a"wake up"

A new study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has found that 14 percent of the 1,854 ischemic strokes evaluated by researchers are "wake up" strokes, which occur when a patient is woken from sleep with stroke symptoms. 


This emphasizes the need for home care options that can help those who are at risk for the condition, because they often are unable to reach a phone during the incident and care is required immediately.


"Because the only treatment for ischemic stroke must be given within a few hours after the first symptoms begin, people who wake up with stroke symptoms often can't receive the treatment since we can't determine when the symptoms started," said study author Jason Mackey.


The people who suffered the most from wake up strokes were, on average, 72-years-old, while the average age of other stroke sufferers was 70.


May is Stroke Awareness Month and older Americans may want to take the time to visit a doctor and have their own stroke risk assessed.

A healthy lifestyle may be the best way to protect against these debilitating events.  


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