One in every six people in the world will suffer a stroke in his or her lifetime, regardless of age, gender, ethnic origin, or country. The statistics in Western New York are even more troublesome, where the rate of stroke death is 23% higher than the national rate, and 79% higher than the aggregate New York State rate.
According to Buffalo’s Jacobs Neurologic Research Center for Stroke and Heart Disease:
• WNY residents suffer three times as much stroke death as residents of New York City.
• Twice as many people are hospitalized with heart disease in Niagara County than across the state.
• Heart disease kills 10 times as many women in WNY as breast cancer and six times as many women as lung cancer.
• In zip code 14203 alone, there is 200% more stroke than would be expected based on a New York State standard.
• Erie County residents experience 33% more heart disease death than the average U.S. citizen. By accessing information available through the many resources right here in Western New York, there are steps you can take to lower your chances of having a stroke.
• Take the American Heart Association’s My Life Check health assessment (www.strokeassociation.org/worldstrokeday), an online tool that calculates how healthy you are, teaches how to create an action plan to achieve better health, and provides simple steps to change unhealthy behaviors.
• Know your personal risk factors for stroke: high blood pressure, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol.
• Be physically active and exercise regularly.
• Adopt a healthy diet.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Avoid cigarette smoke. If you smoke, seek help to stop.
• Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and take action by dialing 9-1-1 immediately.
For more view the PBS award winning video “Stopping a Stroke.” featuring Dr. Elad Levy of University at Buffalo Neurosurgery Institute.
