BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF CHRONIC CONDITIONS
Complications In Emergency Treatment
The more a doctor can find out aboul a paticnl in
the first critical minutes in the emergency room,
the better the chance that needless pain or injury
can be averted.
Leading emergency physicians nave identified 55
conditions, from angina to X-ray dye sensitivity, that
can create serious problems if not communicated in the
emergency room. For seniors, four of the most com
mon are:
?High blood pressure. Forty percent of Americans
over age 65 have high blood
pressure. Even when controlled
with drugs, the condition can
suddenly worsen, creating a
medical emergency. Medica
tions that lower blood pressure
can create a confusing picture
for emergency rescue workers
or emergency room doctors try
ing to diagnose a patient's con
dition.
?Diabetes. One in 10 Amer
icans 65 and older suffers from
diabetes mcllitus, an inability to
metabolize carbohydrates and
sugar. Some people with dia
betes experience unpredictable
drops in blood sugar which can
produce insulin shock. Insulin shock can be mistaken
for drug or alcohol abuse, head injury or stroke. Disor
iented, unconscious or even in a coma, patients may not
be able to tell emergency room personnel about their
condition.
?Heart disease. Chronic heart conditions, which affect
28 percent of persons 65 and over, cause many medical
emergencies. But often patients arc in so much pain or
so disoriented they cannot provide the necessary infor
mation about their heart conditions to emergency
workers. This information is critical; for example, it
can help doctors le!! the difference between an angina
episode or a heart attack.
?Multiple medications. More than 9() percent of older
Americans take at least one prescription medication.
Many lake more. In the stress of an emergency, they
may not remember them all. Many of the drugs used to
treat heart disease, high bkxxl
pressure, diabetes and other
chronic conditions common
among the elderly can interfere
with medications frequently
used in the emergency room.
llie emergency identification
service offered by the nonprofit
Medic Alert Foundation Inter
national can help make sure that
doctors get the potentially life
saving information they need.
The Medic Alert emblem, worn
as a bracelet or neck chain, lists
a person's medical conditions,
medications, l.D. number and
Medic Alert's 24-hour emer
gency hotline number. Through
that number, medical personnel can quickly access
medical records and medication usage, Uius speeding
proper diagnosis and treatment.
Lifetime Medic Alen membership costs just S30.
For a free brochure, call Medic Alert's toll-free num
ber, 1 -8(X)?432-5378, or write Medic Alert Foundation,
2323 Colorado Ave., Turlock, CA 95380.
There's Good
Most strokes can be pre
vented. That's g(xxl news
for the half million people
who might otherwise have strokes
this year. But the bad news is, few
Americans know how to avoid
them.
To raise awareness, the National
Stroke Association is trying to edu
cate the public about risk factors.
Especially important is recognition
of early warning signs of a TIA?a
transient ischemic attack or "brain
attack" in which a sudden blockage
temporarily shuLs off blixxl flow to
an area of the brain.
Just as angina or chest pain is a
signal that the heart is at risk for
heart attack, the distressed brain
sometimes gives off warnings, in
the form of a TIA, when its arteries
become clogged or narrowed, and
there is risk of stroke.
What Are the Signs?
A TIA is over in minutes or
hours. But in about 20 percent of
untreated cases, a stroke occurs
within one month; in 50 percent,
within a year, according to the
American Heart Association. And
the stroke may produce severe dis
ability, loss of speech, paralysis or
memory impairment. Here's what
to look for:
?Sudden blurred or decreased vi
sion in one or both eyes.
?Sudden numbness, weakness or
paralysis of the face, or in an upper
or lower limb, occurring on one or
both sides of the body.
?Difficulty speaking or under
standing.
?Dizziness, loss of balance or an
unexplained fall
News About Stroke Prevention
?Difficulty swallowing.
?Hcadachc (usually severe and
sudden), or an unexplained change
in Uic pattern of headaches.
Today, there's more incentive to
get prompt medical attention after a
TIA. New medical breakthroughs,
announced at a recent International
Symposium on Suoke Prevention
held at the New York University
Medical Center, include:
?An experimental drug, ticlopi
dinc, not yet approved by the Rxxl
and Drug Administration, was
found to be almost 50 percent more
effective than aspirin during the
first year following a TIA.
?A surgical puxedure known as
carotid cndartcrcciomy ? cleaning
out ihc arteries in (he neck leading
to the brain. The procedure is ex
tremely effective in preventing
stroke in high-risk patients whose
arteries are severely narrowed.
"Stroke is called America's most
neglected disease," said Gary
Houser, vice president of the Na
tional Stroke Association. "We hope
to help people prevent damage
rather than learn to live with it."
For further information and a
free brochure, call or write the
National Stroke Association. 3(X) E.
Hampden Ave., Suite 24<), Engle
wood, CO 80110-2622, or call 1
800-7X7-6537 (1 -8(X)-STROKES).
R.H. McClure
Realty, Inc.
?Sales [JJ
If AlVOft
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