Stroke in elderly African-Americans

About 85% of strokes in the U.S. occur in people over 65 years of age. As such, stroke is the third leading cause of death, and stroke management and prevention are important topics in geriatric cardiology. Approximately 50%-80% of strokes are preventable. Therefore, treatable stroke risk factors such as hypertension, atrial fibrillation and other manifestations of heart disease, cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, excessive alcohol intake, TIAs, and hypercholesterolemia must be identified and vigorously controlled. Once TIAs or other signs of stroke appear, the patient should be immediately transported to the nearest hospital emergency room arriving within one or two hours following the onset of symptoms. Currently accepted approaches to the management of acute stroke symptoms ('Brain Attack') are reviewed. New therapeutic and preventive stroke measures may help reverse the recent national rise in stroke occurrence and mortality as seen most prominently in African-Americans.