Last January, Joachim Chiantella’s behavior suddenly changed. He started throwing objects across the room. He was confused. His migraine was killing him. Chiantella had the premonition that something terrible was going to happen to him. He suffered a stroke. Within the next few months, he suffered four more strokes.
Because of the strokes, the right side of Chiantella’s body was paralyzed and he forgot how to read and write. Today, Chiantella, of Douglaston has regained use of most of his faculties and is able to walk again.
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, an opportunity to remember that strokes are the third leading cause of death in the country, and may be avoided.
A stroke happens when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain bursts or is blocked by a clot, depriving the brain of oxygen, which in turn kills brain cells. Some stroke risk factors can be controlled.
The most common is high blood pressure - over three quarters of first-time stroke victims have high blood pressure, according to the American Stroke Association.
Other modifiable factors include smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol levels and lack of exercise.
The risk factors that cannot be changed are age, heredity and gender. The chances of stroke more than double every 10 years for people over 55. A family history of stroke increases the likelihood. Stroke is more common in men than in women.
People with stroke and heart attack histories are also predisposed.
Risk factor awareness is important for prevention, but recognizing that you may have had a stroke is just as important because waiting costs you brain cells, said Dr. Emilo Oribe, director of neurology at New York Hospital Queens. Oribe said people need to call 9-1-1 and see a doctor immediately if they have any of the following symptoms:
Even if these signs go away, see a doctor, Oribe advised.
Queens residents can go to New York Hospital Queens, the only designated stroke center in the borough. The hospital, on Flushing’s Main Street, has a stroke unit with staff trained to treat stroke patients, Oribe explained.
On Monday, May 19, the hospital is going to hold a free screening for stroke risk factors between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. To register, participants must call 800-282-6684.
According to statistics from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - in 2006, 390 people in Queens died of stroke, second after Brooklyn, with 427 stroke deaths. Staten Island had the lowest number of stroke related deaths - 90.
