Lifesaving Opportunities Missed, Before and After Stroke.

The article focuses on stroke, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. It is also a disease consistently misdiagnosed by both victims and doctors. This leads to relatively little use of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the only drug proven effective in mitigating the effects of a stroke. From the unwillingness of patients to treat their high blood pressure through rehabilitation, stroke's worst effects stem from failures in the U.S. health care system. INSETS: ABOUT THE SERIES;Cost Put a Crucial Stroke Treatment Out of Reach for a Small....