Добавил:
Upload Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз: Предмет: Файл:
Алябьева Ю.М., Клинг В.И. English listening com...doc
Скачиваний:
67
Добавлен:
11.09.2019
Размер:
5.43 Mб
Скачать

3. Listen to the tape and complete the following statement.

The American Heart Association's Steps to Preventing a Stroke are…

Vocabulary:

carotid artery – сонная артерия,

endarterectomy – эдартерэктомия,

binge drinking – пьянство.

Can You Prevent a Stroke?

The U.S. death rate from stroke fell 70 percent from 1950 to 1992.

Yes, you can, at least in many cases. In fact, the U.S. death rate from stroke fell by a dramatic 70 percent from 1950 to 1992 - a drop that has been attributed largely to better detection and control of high blood pressure, the leading risk factor in stroke.

After high blood pressure - which should be lowered to prevent stroke - heart disease is the greatest contributor to the condition. So preventing heart disease by exercising and keeping weight down can prevent stroke as well. (A list of the American Heart Association's recommendations on stroke prevention appears at the end of this story.)

High blood pressure is a stroke risk.

Other key steps: smokers should quit, since smoking is a leading contributor to stroke. Drinking should be controlled: having more than two drinks a day can raise blood pressure, and occasional binge drinking can help lead to a brain attack, as stroke is sometimes called. Intravenous drug use can cause a stroke, sometimes fatally, even in young people, by causing blood clots that travel to the brain.

In addition to general healthy -living prescriptions, drugs or surgery can help prevent stroke in people who have signs of being at special risk. For instance, if you have had a transient ischemic attack (TIA) - a kind of temporary mini - stroke - you have 10 times the risk of having a full - fledged stroke as someone who hasn't had one. A daily dose of aspirin, which helps prevent blood clots, is widely recommended for people who have had a TIA or who have already suffered a heart attack or stroke. (Some doctors recommend aspirin even for people who have had no cardiovascular problems, but because of the drug's side effects, people are cautioned to consult their doctor before starting long - term use.)

Atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm common in those with coronary artery disease, may be the number one cause of preventable strokes in the U.S., accounting for about 10 percent of all strokes. With the abnormal rhythm, blood tends to pool in the heart, hatching clots that travel into blood vessels feeding the brain. Treatment with the anticoagulant drug warfarin, or Coumadin, has been shown to cut the risk sharply. Aspirin is sometimes used instead; while less risky, it is also believed to be less effective. Either way, all patients with atrial fibrillation should get treatment to prevent stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

For many people with atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, a primary cause of stroke, an operation called carotid endarterectomy can sharply cut their elevated risk of stroke. In this surgery, some of the fatty atherosclerotic plaque lining the arteries is removed, allowing blood to flow more freely to the brain. The procedure itself can sometimes cause a stroke, as little pieces of plaque scraped off the arterial walls find their way to narrower vessels in the brain. But, in recent years, it has become clearer which patients are very likely to benefit from the surgery, and complication rates have been reduced by skilled, experienced surgeons.

Of course, among the many factors influencing the risk of stroke, not all are controllable.

Take age, race and sex. For every 10 years you live after the age of 55, your risk of stroke doubles. For men, the risk is about 20 percent higher than for women. For African - Americans of either sex, the risk of having a stroke - and of dying or being permanently disabled from it - are both higher than the risk for whites. In fact, in the United States black men have nearly double the death rate from stroke as white men, which are attributed in part to their higher rate of high blood pressure.

If you are poor, or live in the Southeast - the so­-called Stroke Belt - your risk of stroke is higher than the average. And very cold or extremely hot weather raises the risk as well.

The American Heart Association's Steps to Preventing a Stroke: 1. Stop smoking. 2. Keep blood pressure down. 3. Eat a low- fat, low- salt diet. 4. Take off extra weight. 5. Get regular exercise. 6. Follow doctor's orders. 7. Take your medicine. 8. Get regular checkups.

Соседние файлы в предмете [НЕСОРТИРОВАННОЕ]