Publisher/Editor RHL
David Harney
Publisher /Editor BHL
Annette Pinder
Associate Editor
Kathleen Moore, Ph.D
Creative Director
Chris Hanna, Atomic Design.
Editorial Advisory Board
Horacio Capote, M.D.
Sheila Flavin, M.S., R.D.
Philip Haberstro
Shelley Hirshberg, M.A. HSA
Peter Ostrow, M.D., Ph.D
Sylvia Regalla, M.D., MSCN
Nicole Urdang, MS, NCC, DMH
Stroke
Copyright, Buffalo Healthy Living, 2010
One in every six people in the world will suffer a stroke
in his or her lifetime, regardless of age, gender, ethnic
origin, or country. The statistics in Western New York
are even more troublesome, where the rate of stroke
death is 23% higher than the national rate, and 79%
higher than the aggregate New York State rate.
According to Buffalo’s Jacobs Neurologic Research
Center for Stroke and Heart Disease:
• WNY residents suffer three times as much stroke
death as residents of New York City.
• Twice as many people are hospitalized with heart
disease in Niagara County than across the state.
• Heart disease kills 10 times as many women in
WNY as breast cancer and six times as many women
as lung cancer.
• In zip code 14203 alone, there is 200% more stroke
than would be expected based on a New York State
standard.
• Erie County residents experience 33% more heart
disease death than the average U.S. citizen.
By accessing information available through the many
resources right here in Western New York, there are
steps you can take to lower your chances of having a
stroke.
• Take the American Heart Association’s My Life
Check health assessment (www.strokeassociation.org/
worldstrokeday), an online tool that calculates how
healthy you are, teaches how to create an action plan
to achieve better health, and provides simple steps to
change unhealthy behaviors.
• Know your personal risk factors for stroke: high blood
pressure, diabetes, and high blood cholesterol.
• Be physically active and exercise regularly.
• Adopt a healthy diet.
• Limit alcohol consumption.
• Avoid cigarette smoke. If you smoke, seek help
to stop.
• Learn to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and
take action by dialing 9-1-1 immediately.
For more view the PBS award winning video “Stopping a
