stroke Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

West Virginia University Receives Federal Funding for Alzheimer’s Research

West Virginia University has been awarded federal funds to expand research into Alzheimer’s disease.

WVU was awarded more than $420,000 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for research into stroke and Alzheimer’s disease related dementias.

In a joint statement, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin said that Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 39,000 West Virginians, and that stroke is the seventh leading cause of death in West Virginia.

“Having cared for both of my parents who suffered from Alzheimer’s, I understand the impact that this disease and others can have on caregivers and families,” Capito said.

The announcement comes after WVU chemistry major Rachel McNeel presented her research on early detection of Alzheimer’s to Congress earlier this week.

Nationally, the CDC estimated in 2020 that nearly 6 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s disease. Officials expect that number to triple by 2060.

Report: West Virginia Has One Of The Highest Death Rates In The U.S.

A new report shows that West Virginia is one of five states with the highest death rates in the country. The leading cause is heart disease.

In 2017, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia had the highest death rates in the U.S., according to a report released Thursday from the National Center for Health Statistics.

States with the lowest death rates in 2017 were California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Minnesota and New York. Death rate is calculated as the percent of a population that dies within a given time.

Along with heart disease, other leading causes of death were cancer, stroke and lower respiratory diseases like pulmonary disease.

If you were a young or middle aged adult living in one of the five states with the highest death rates in 2017, you were more than twice as likely to die than your peers living in one of the states with the lowest death rates.

Nationwide, deaths among men were higher than women.

The older you get, especially for people in the 85 plus range, the gap between states with the highest rates and lowest death rates closes.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center.

Mon Health and WVU Medicine Collaborate to Provide Better Care to Stroke Patients

Mon Health System and WVU Medicine have announced a collaboration to provide round-the-clock teleneurology services at three hospitals. The initiative is designed to provide quicker care to urgent stroke patients.

The services will be available at the three Mon Health hospitals in Morgantown, Kingwood and Weston. As part of the collaboration, Mon Health physicians will have access to Board Certified Neurologists from WVU who will quickly assess and recommend treatment for urgent stroke patients, according to a press release.

Stroke patients have the best chance of recovery when diagnosed and treated quickly.

Following initial treatment, patients will be evaluated to determine where and what kind of further care they should receive.

The idea is to expand services in local communities so stroke patients can be taken to the nearest facility and receive timely care. The collaboration began July 1st.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center.