Mexican-Americans with heart rhythm disorder have increased risk for second stroke

Mexican-Americans with heart rhythm disorder have increased risk for second stroke
Study highlights:

Mexican-American stroke survivors with atrial fibrillation had more than double the risk for a second stroke compared to non-Hispanic white survivors with the disorder.
Strokes were more severe among these Mexican-Americans than among non-Hispanic whites; however, researchers found no major differences in death rates between the two groups.
Researchers said the findings could help physicians develop strategies to prevent recurrent stroke in Mexican-Americans.
DALLAS, Sept. 9, 2010 — Mexican-American stroke survivors with a heart rhythm disorder have more than twice the risk for another stroke compared to non-Hispanic whites, according to a study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Mexican-Americans’ recurrent strokes are also more likely to be severe, though they don’t have a greater risk of death after stroke, researchers said.

Researchers compared 88 Mexican-American and 148 non-Hispanic white stroke survivors who had atrial fibrillation, a disorder in which the heart’s upper chambers (called the atria) beat irregularly and don’t pump blood effectively, possibly causing blood to pool within the atria and blood clot formation in the heart.

They found that the likelihood of suffering another stroke during the study follow-up period was more than double for Mexican-Americans than for non-Hispanic whites. Although stroke recurrence was higher and strokes were more severe among Mexican-Americans, death rates didn’t differ between the two groups.

“Based on some of our prior research, we were not necessarily surprised by the higher recurrence risk in Mexican-Americans with atrial fibrillation, but the greater severity of recurrent strokes in Mexican-Americans was surprising,” said Darin B. Zahuranec, M.D., study co-author and an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor.

Results are based on cases of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project, a population-based stroke surveillance study. The data were collected between January 2000 and June 2008. Corpus Christi has a large Mexican-American population and is located along the Gulf coast of Texas.

The study also showed that Mexican-American patients were younger, less likely to have completed 12 years of education, more likely to have diabetes, and less likely to have a primary care physician. Researchers found no ethnic differences between the two groups in the severity of the first stroke.

Nineteen Mexican-Americans and 14 non-Hispanic whites had at least one recurrent stroke over a median follow-up of 427.5 days; all but one event was an ischemic stroke (one Mexican-American patient experienced intracerebral hemorrhage).

One reason for the difference could be that the management of warfarin — a blood thinning drug — among Mexican-Americans may not be optimal, Zahuranec said. However, the study found no ethnic difference in the proportion of patients who were prescribed warfarin at hospital discharge. They did not evaluate data looking at outpatient use of warfarin after hospital discharge which might have contributed to the increased risk of stroke in Mexican-Americans.

Atrial fibrillation affects approximately 2.2 million Americans; about 15 percent of strokes occur among individuals with atrial fibrillation.

Co-authors are J.R. Simpson, M.D.; L.D Lisabeth, Ph.D.; B.N. Sánchez, Ph.D.; L.E. Skolarus M.D.; J.E. Mendizabal, M.D.; M.A. Smith, DrPH; N.M. Garcia, B.S.; and L.B. Morgenstern, M.D. Author disclosures are on the manuscript.

Check out this great MSN Video: Blood Pressure & The Brain

Check out this great MSN Video: Blood Pressure & The Brain

Go Red Por Tu Corazon

Existen muchos factores de riesgo que cumplen un rol a la hora de determinar si usted sufrirá o no de una enfermedad del corazón o ataque cerebral. ¡Conozca los factores, elimine aquellos que puede controlar y comience el camino hacia una vida más cardiosaludable!

Http://www.goredcorazon.org/enes/heart-soul.html

Triage Nurse - LVN for Well Med at Mid Town

Triage Nurse - LVN
Location:
WellMed at Mid Town

City:
Austin

Job Code:
0115

Requisition ID:
1840

State/Territory:
US-TX

Title:
Triage Nurse - LVN

For more information please visit:
http://www.wellmedmedicalgroup.com/employment/career-opportunities

Domingo
12 de Septiembre
11 a.m. a 5 p.m.
Travis County
Expo Center
7311 Decker Lane
Austin, Texas
ACTIVIDADES GRATIS INCLUYEN:
Chequeos De Presión, Colesterol Y Azúcar
(Debe ayunar por 4 horas para participar)
Globos Para Los Niños • Demostración De Aeróbicos De Salsa Y Merengue
Demostración De Cocina • Obsequios Y Premios Divertidos

Fito Olivares El Colesterol Video

Festival Hispano de Salud - Sept. Sunday 12, 2010

FREE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
Blood Pressure, Cholesterol & Glucose Screenings
(Must be fasting for 4 hours prior to participate)
Balloon Animals for the Kids • Salsa & Merengue Aerobics Demonstration
Cooking Demonstration • Fun Giveaways & Prizes
Sunday
September 12, 2010
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Travis County
Expo Center
7311 Decker Lane
Austin, Texas
17th Annual

My Photo Book Aug 08 2010

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shared photo book from marcie

Click here to view this photo book larger

Healthcare Up and Close

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Avery special thanks to the Austin & Central Texas Hispanic Nurses that Volunteered for this very important event. We had lunch and conversation with nursing and pre-nursing students to answer questions and share our experiences. This was truly a very special time for us all.
Pictured 1st roll: Cindy Ford, Josie Lugo, Laura Rosales, Pat Adams; front roll: Marcie Wilson, Susan Cisneros, Linda Mendez,
Emily Rodriguez, Rosa

Helath Care up and Close

Vestido Rojo Event at Conley Guerrero Sr. Activity Center

February was Women and Heart Disease Month.
2010 Vestido Rojo was held in Austin, on 02-20-2010, at Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center.
Larissa De Luna, Cultural Health Initiatives Director at American Heart Association and a member of the Board of Directors of The ACTHNA, did a fabulous putting this event together.
There were health screenings provided by El Buen Samaritan and educational breakout sessions. This was the first educational Vestido Rojo, event of this kind in Austin. this great event is only expected to grow in years to come.

Nothing Tricky

Hands only CPR video

Feria Para Aprender
Feria Para Aprender, the nation’s largest Spanish-language fair in the nation, returns February 6, 10am to 2pm at the Travis County Expo Center. The goal of the Feria is to create a college-going culture by providing information for parents who speak only Spanish to support their children’s academic success. More than 10,000 expected attendees can talk to 100-plus representatives from colleges, universities, scholarship organizations, and nonprofits including Skillpoint Alliance. As a bonus, more than 12,000 books will be given away. For more information, visit Feria Para Aprender.