For Arizona stroke patients, Barrow Neurological Institute offers care when every second counts

This month, KTAR’s Community Spotlight is highlighting the work Barrow Neurological Institute does to empower stroke survivors in Arizona.

With May recognized as Stroke Awareness Month, Barrow doctors say it’s an important time to remind people how dangerous strokes can be — and how quickly they need to be treated.

“We all have about 130 billion neurons in the brain,” Dr. Judea Wiggins, a neurologist at the Barrow Neurological Institute’s Petznick Stroke Center, told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Monday. “For every minute of stroke, you lose about 2 million neurons.”

That’s why swift action is essential.

“If we’re able to stabilize the brain by treatments such as clot-busting elements or blood pressure control that’s going to be really essential,” Wiggins said. “You just have to get to the hospital as soon as you can to have that upgrade.”

Because fast action is so critical, it’s important for people to know the warning signs of a stroke, according to Dr. Joyce K. Lee-Iannotti, who is a stroke and sleep neurologist and the interim director of Barrow’s stroke center.

“There is a great acronym and it is BE-FAST,” Lee-Iannotti told KTAR News.

How to tell when someone is having a stroke

Each letter in the acronym stands for a different sign of a stroke:

• B (Balance): Is there a sudden loss of balance or coordination?
• E (Eyes): Is there sudden blurred vision, double vision or other vision trouble?
• F (Face): Ask the person to smile. Is one side or are both sides of the face drooping?
• A (Arms): Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one side drift downward? Is there weakness or numbness on one side?
• S (Speech): Does the person have slurred or garbled speech? Can he or she repeat simple phrases?
• T (Time): Call 911 for immediate medical attention if you notice one or more of these signs. Also, take note of when the symptoms began.

Lee-Iannotti urged people to remember the acronym for themselves, their family members, friends and even strangers in public who may be experiencing a stroke.

Strokes don’t discriminate, so everyone should keep an eye out

Lee-Iannotti said this is information everyone should know because strokes can affect anyone, regardless of age or sex.

“A stroke does not discriminate,” she explained. “We see young people. In fact, a few weeks ago we had someone in their 20s who came in with a stroke. Women are at also higher risk.”

The reason for this is that women are subjected to many hormonal therapies throughout their lives.

“So, oral contraception early in life, pregnancy with a lot of hormonal changes, and then around menopause, we start using hormone replacement therapy, and all of those can increase your risk of stroke through making your blood kind of thicker,” Lee-Iannotti said.

In addition to those conditions, women’s higher rates of migraines with aura and endometriosis can also contribute to an increased stroke risk, Wiggins added.

“Our job is to empower women with this knowledge so that they can advocate for themselves, and it’s about time that the scientific community really starts to pay attention to these ‘women issues,'” Wiggins said.

“Doctors are becoming more aware of the fact that ‘Hey, I need to ask my patients more about their gynecologic and obstetric history.’ … I’m really happy that we’re being able to spotlight these issues.”

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