Episode 3: Do you know the warning signs of a stroke?

Dr. Paul Nyquist points to spots of possible damage caused by a stroke at a news conference at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. (AP / Patrick Semansky)

On this episode of Dr. Marla & friends:

Dr. Trevor Born runs down the latest in non-invasive cosmetic procedures and the modern-day facelift.

Plus, stroke doesn't discriminate. We hear one woman's story of survival.

And, discover a medical scanner inspired by science fiction, but grounded in reality.

Digital Extra: Risk factors for stroke, and the symptoms to watch for.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death in Canada as well as a leading cause of permanent disability. Every year, more than 50,000 strokes occur in Canada – that’s one every 10 minutes.

There are some things that increase your stroke risk that you can’t do much about. Your risk increases with age, for example, so men over the age of 55 and postmenopausal women are at greatest risk.

But there are key factors that can put you at risk at any age, which you can do something about.

Dr. Rick Swartz of the Stroke Research Unit at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto notes that high blood pressure is by far the biggest risk factor.

That’s why it’s important, he tells Dr. Marla and Friends, to get your blood pressure checked regularly at your doctor’s office. If your blood pressure is too high, it’s critical to take the medications prescribed to you to lower it.

“The top three things you can do to lower your risk of stroke are: treat your blood pressure, treat your blood pressure, and treat your blood pressure,” Swartz says.

Other key risk factors that raise your risk of stroke include:

The Heart and Stroke Foundation says there are a few other factors that could raise your risk:

Many people fail to recognize the signs of a stroke, thinking the symptoms will just go away on their own.

Polling done for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in May 2012 found that even though most Canadians recognize at least one sign of stroke, more than one in three say they would not likely call 911 or their local emergency number even if they saw those signs in someone they knew.

If any of the following come on suddenly, it’s time to call an ambulance:

If you or someone you know experiences any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Do not attempt to drive yourself to hospital. Emergency medical services personnel will know the best hospital to take you to.

Acting quickly is crucial if you think you might be having a stroke.

While there is an effective, clot-busting treatment for a stroke, called tPA, it has to be given within four hours of the first symptoms. Unfortunately, two-thirds of Canadians arrive at hospital too late for that treatment.

But a study released this past summer by the Heart and Stroke Foundation found that half of all adults under the age of 50 took longer than eight hours to arrive at a hospital emergency department. That's far too long to get the best treatment.

For every minute of delay in treating a stroke, the typical person loses almost two million brain cells, the foundation says. And for each hour in which treatment does not occur, the brain loses as many neurons as it does in more than three years of normal aging.