var arrayFacts =[ "Stroke and Memory:

Stroke may harm memory without necessarily causing dementia or other cognitive impairment, researchers report.

Columbia University researchers in New York performed an initial assessment of nearly 1,300 people, averaging just over 76 years of age, with no cognitive impairment or dementia.

While all the participants experienced some memory decline over the course of the study, the decline was more rapid in people who had a history of stroke.", "Blood Pressure Drugs May Prevent Stroke:

Common blood pressure drugs called angiotensin-coverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce blood pressure.

They may also reduce risks for heart attack, stroke, and death in people with coronary artery disease, a new analysis finds.", "Pregnancy and Stroke:

Pregnant women who develop preeclampsia -- a condition that includes abnormally high blood pressure -- are known to run the risk of having a stroke during pregnancy.

Researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now report that preeclampsia is also a risk factor for stroke in the future.", "Drug Cocktail May Prevent Stroke:

Taking a combination of three drugs to prevent strokes appears to benefit patients even if a stroke occurs, Boston-based investigators report in the journal Neurology.

Taking an antiplatelet drug, like aspirin, along with an ACE inhibitor to lower blood pressure, such as lisinopril, and a type of cholesterol-lowering drug called statins, like lovastatin, may help prevent a stroke, but if one occurs it will still probably be less severe than if the drugs had not been used.", "Some Stroke Survivors Fully Recover:

Of those who survive a stroke, many have long-term disabilities. However about 10% of those who have had a stroke recover most or all function.

Fifty percent are able to be at home with medical assistance while 40% become residents of a long-term care facility like a nursing home. Source: NIH", "Every 45 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke.

A stroke can happen when:

1)A blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. This is called an ischemic stroke.

2) A blood vessel breaks open, causing blood to leak into the brain. This is a hemmorhagic stroke.", "Excellent Stroke Medication:

Thrombolytic medicine breaks up blood clots and can restore blood flow to the damaged area of a stroke victim's brain.

People who receive this medicine are more likely to have less long-term impairment. However, there are strict criteria for who can receive thrombolytics. The most important is that the person be evaluated and treated by a specialized stroke team within 3 hours of when the symptoms start.

If the stroke is caused by bleeding rather than clotting, this treatment can make the damage worse -- so care is needed to diagnose the cause before giving treatment.", "To help prevent a stroke:

1)Get screened for high blood pressure at least every two years, especially if you have a family history of high blood pressure.

2) Have your cholesterol checked.

3) Treat high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease if present.

4) Quit smoking.", "Stroke is the third leading cause of death...

and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.", "In 2002...

stroke killed 162,672 people (61% of them women), accounting for about 1 of every 15 deaths. The death rate was 56 per 100,000 population.", "African Americans At Risk:

Stroke death rates are substantially higher for African Americans than for whites (2002 rates per 100,000 population: 82 for black men, 72 for black women, 54 for white men, and 53 for white women). Source: NIH

For other racial and ethnic groups, 2002 stroke death rates per 100,000 population were 48 for Asians/Pacific Islanders, 41 for Hispanics, and 37 for American Indians/Alaska Natives.", "Approximately 50% of stroke deaths occur before the person reaches the hospital.

Each year, about 700,000 people suffer a stroke (about 500,000 first attacks and 200,000 recurrent attacks). Source: CDC", "Stroke Rates Increase:

From the early 1970s to the early 1990s, the estimated number of noninstitutionalized stroke survivors increased from 1.5 million to 2.4 million.", "The Price of a Stroke:

Medicare spent $3.6 billion in 1998 on stroke survivors discharged from short-stay hospitals. Source: CDC", "The most common sign of stroke is...

sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg, most often on one side of the body.Other warning signs can include:

1)Sudden numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body

2)Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech

3)Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

4)Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

5)Sudden severe headache with no known cause", "Women's hormonal changes during pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause increase their risk for stroke.

The risk of stroke associated with pregnancy is greatest in the postpartum period-the 6 weeks following childbirth.", "Sroke Victims At Risk For Depression:

Depression can strike anyone, but people with serious illnesses such as stroke may be at greater risk.

Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of depression may bring substantial benefits to persons recovering from a stroke by improving their medical status, enhancing their quality of life, and reducing their pain and disability.", "Stroke Victims Benefit From Treatment For Depression

Treatment for depression also can shorten the rehabilitation process, lead to more rapid recovery and resumption of routine, and save health care costs (e.g., eliminate nursing home expenses).", "The average duration of major depression in people who have suffered a stroke is just under a year.

Among the factors that affect the likelihood and severity of depression following a stroke are the location of the brain lesion, previous or family history of depression, and pre-stroke social functioning.", "A Stroke in the Womb?

Stroke can occur in all age groups and can happen even to fetuses still in the womb.However, three-fourths of strokes occur in people 65 years of age and over, making stroke a leading cause of disability in older persons.", "Each Stroke Recovery Process is Unique:

Because stroke survivors often have complex rehabilitation needs, progress and recovery are unique for each person.

Although a majority of functional abilities may be restored soon after a stroke, recovery is an ongoing process.", "Risks of Hormone Therapy:

Long-term use of hormone therapy poses serious risks and may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Check with your doctor!", "The blood thinner given to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after his mini-stroke in December may have backfired.

In Sharon's case, the medication might have contributed to the massive stroke he suffered on Wednesday, in what experts say is a classic illustration of this seeming paradox in stroke treatment.", "Calcium May Lessen Stroke Severity:

High dietary calcium intake appears to lessen the severity of a stroke should one occur.It also may improve the likelihood of good post-stroke recovery, a new study finds.", "Exercise Helps Prevent Stroke:

High levels of leisure-time physical activity -- such as swimming, running or heavy gardening -- can cut your stroke risk, the results of a Finnish study suggest.

The study of 47,721 Finns, ages 25 to 64, also found that cycling or walking to work each day helps reduce the risk of stroke.", "Beware of the mini-stroke:

The number one risk facing a stroke survivor, or a survivor of a mini-stroke, is a subsequent stroke, according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

New guidelines mark a major shift from earlier recommendations by experts that stroke and mini-stroke -- officially known as a transient ischemic attack, or TIA -- be treated separately.

TIA is a temporary disturbance in the brain that causes stroke-like symptoms, but does not cause permanent damage.

However, both conditions increase the risk of a subsequent stroke, and both require similar diagnostic workups and treatment."];