October 29 is World Stroke Day

October 29, 2008 6:20 AM CT

October 29th has been declared as World Stroke Day and will be celebrated annually. This year the theme is “Little strokes, big trouble” because “silent” strokes occur five times as often as obvious strokes and affect thinking, mood, and personality.

Recent studies have shown that silent strokes are the most common type of strokes. Studies have suggested that there were 770,000 clinical (obvious) strokes and about 11 million silent strokes in the U.S. in 1998.

Having a silent stroke increases the chance of having other silent strokes as well as obvious strokes and dementia. Thus we need to pay close attention to, and treat, our stroke risk factors.

For those with atrial fibrillation, “to be, or not to be, on Coumadin” is a common refrain. If you have atrial fibrillation, please take a moment to re-examine whether or not Coumadin (warfarin) makes sense in your personal situation, or arrange to review it with your doctor on your next visit.

To learn more, check out these two important resources: