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Cutting-edge information on brain attack (stroke) reaches global audience

New page on Netwellness.org features experts Dennis Landis, M.D., from Case/UHC and Joseph Broderick, M.D., from U. of Cincinnati

CLEVELAND (June 23, 2005) – If you’ve heard the term brain attack, then you’re listening to the right people. In an effort to change the way people think about the common but debilitating stroke, internationally recognized neurologists and NetWellness experts Dennis Landis, M.D., from Case Western Reserve University, and Joseph Broderick, M.D., from the University of Cincinnati, hope to improve chances for a full recovery of this little-understood and often tragic medical event.

Landis emphasizes the importance of this concept: “The term ‘brain attack’ is used to convey urgency and importance. Today, we can prevent brain damage and save lives if patients get to medical help within three hours of the onset of their stroke.”

As stated in an overview article premiering today on NetWellness http://netwellness.org/healthtopics/brainattack, “The reason the term brain attack is being used today is so people will see that an immediate recognition of the warning signs and a quick call to 911 for emergency assistance can dramatically improve the chance for a full recovery.” Written in accessible language for consumers, related documents provide further information on the triggers and warning signs, the risk factors, preventive methods and treatment options for brain attack.

Broderick said, “Previous surveys of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region have revealed that many persons don’t know the warning signs of a brain attack, although knowledge is slowly improving. For example, in 1995, only a little more than one-half of the surveyed public correctly provided one of the warning signs of a brain attack or stroke, whereas in 2000, 70 percent could gave a correct response. Educational resources such as NetWellness help to educate the public about brain attacks or strokes and what to do if they have one.”

With NetWellness (http://netwellness.org/) receiving 2.5 million hits each month, Landis, chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Case School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in partnership with Broderick, chairman of the Department of Neurology at the University of Cincinnati, are optimistic that providing consumer-focused content on brain attack can improve outcomes for individuals everywhere. Visitors to NetWellness come not only from communities throughout the United States, but from all over the world including China, Romania, South Africa, Brazil, France, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Greece and Japan.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, NetWellness was one of the first consumer health web sites to appear on the internet, and remains commercial-free to this day. Providing high-quality information created and evaluated by medical and health professional faculty at the University of Cincinnati, Case, and The Ohio State University, NetWellness seeks to improve the health of people worldwide through information that is scientifically sound, high quality, unbiased, and provided free of charge.

For the past four years, funding has been secured in the federal budget through the leadership of U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Navarre), U.S. Rep. Dave Hobson (R-Springfield) and Sen. George V. Voinovich (R-OH).

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For more Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine news, see http://casemed.case.edu/public_affairs/news/archives.cfm.