Balancing act
Each patient has a different story: different ways their symptoms developed, different severity and results, different types of rehabilitation, and different increments of recovery. But some factors are consistent. For instance, we know that healthy dietary and lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of a stroke, or – if you’ve already had a stroke – can reduce the risk of additional strokes occurring.
This study attempted to assess how patients who had low potassium concentration immediately following a stroke progressed in their ability to function independently. The researchers – from the State University of New York at Buffalo – began their work knowing that previous studies had suggested a low potassium intake to be associated with a higher mortality rate from stroke. They also knew that an animal study had concluded that a lower potassium level after a stroke was believed to increase the amount of tissue damage in the brain.
The SUNY team studied the hospital records of 66 patients who suffered damaged cerebral tissue during a stroke. They used a special test specifically designed to determine the potassium level in blood samples taken immediately after the strokes occurred.
The results showed that the patients with higher potassium concentrations were almost twice as likely to have favorable long-term outcomes following a stroke as those patients who showed lower potassium levels.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Feng Hua, hopes her study will encourage larger, more conclusive studies which could eventually lead to the development of a potassium supplement therapy in the early post-stroke period.
Potassium is a mineral that helps maintain muscle tone, as well as fluid and electrolyte balance. The National Academy of Sciences suggests that adult men and women should get at least 2,000 milligrams of potassium every day. In most cases this is easily achieved from a normally healthy diet, without supplements.
High potassium fruits include apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, honeydew melon and citrus fruits. Vegetables with good amounts of potassium are asparagus, potatoes, green beans, lima beans, and cauliflower. Other foods high in potassium: grain products, red meat, poultry, seafood and dry beans, such as peas and lentils.
It would be difficult to get too much potassium from dietary sources alone. The problem with supplements in this case is that they can send potassium levels soaring, and an imbalance of potassium and sodium can result in kidney damage and other serious complications. So even if you’re in a group that’s at high risk of a stroke, you would do best to pass on the supplements especially when potassium can be easily obtained from so many natural food sources.
It’s absolutely essential to quickly get medical attention at the first warning signs of a stroke. Quick action can reduce the long-term effects of the stroke and may even save the victim’s life. So first it’s important to know who’s most at risk.
You are considered a high risk for stroke if you’ve had a heart attack (especially if you’re 75 or older), and if you suffer with hypertension, diabetes, or peripheral vascular disease.
A stroke can sometimes be forming for several days before the first symptoms occur, so if you or a loved one is in a high risk group, learn these warning signs of stroke and be prepared to act immediately if any of them appear:
- weakness or numbness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
- trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- severe headache with no known cause
If you or a family member is in one of the high risk groups for stroke, don’t take any chances: always seek prompt medical attention after observing ANY of the warning signs.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
“Early Post-Stroke Serum Potassium Concentration and Functional Outcome among Patients with Cerebral Infarction” Abstract P03.034, 54th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology
“AAN: Low Potassium Levels Soon After a Stroke Linked to Poor Outcome” DG News
Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.
