Submitted by Advocate BroMenn Medical Center and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, learning these two things may save a life: 1) Know if you are at risk for stroke; and 2) Know the stroke warning signs and what to do in a stroke emergency.
Stroke is the No. 1 preventable cause of disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds, yet 80 percent of strokes are preventable.
“Knowing if you are at risk for stroke is highly important, because many risk factors can be modified and controlled,” said Sunil Chauhan, MD, a neurologist at Advocate BroMenn Medical Center in Normal. “The No. 1 stroke risk factor is high blood pressure. Nearly 78 million Americans have high blood pressure and many more aren’t even aware that they have it. It’s important to check your blood pressure regularly and talk to your doctor about healthy levels for you.”
Dr. Chauhan also strongly recommends that individuals stop smoking and maintain a healthy body weight, and other common stroke risk factors that can be controlled.
The American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life initiative, uses giant six-feet-tall letters at public events spelling the acronym F.A.S.T. to help people to recognize a stroke and know what to do if one occurs.
“The letters are an attention-grabbing, visual way to remember the warning signs of a stroke,” said neurologist Dr. Herman Dick, medical director for the hospitals’ stroke program. “It’s a simple reinforcement that can ultimately save lives.”
The F.A.S.T. letters stand for:
F – Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
A – Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
T – Time to call 9-1-1: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.
Dr. Chauhan stressed the importance of calling 9-1-1 to get to a hospital quickly. “Too many people delay getting treatment, to the detriment of their recovery,” he said. “Hospital emergency departments, especially those that are part of a certified Stroke Center, are prepared and ready to treat stroke victims – but time is of the essence.”
Additional stroke signs include: Sudden severe headache with no known cause; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; or sudden confusion or trouble understanding.
So what can you do to prevent stroke in the first place? The “health enews” website (www.ahchealthenews.com) offers these seven tips:
- Control your blood pressure.
- Control your blood sugar. Diabetes increases your risk of stroke fourfold.
- Know if you have an irregular heartbeat. If your heart isn’t pumping blood properly, it can lead to clotting that can cause stroke.
- Quit smoking. It doubles your risk of stroke.
- Lose some weight. Excess weight increases your risk of high blood pressure and puts extra strain on your entire circulatory system.
- Eat right. Eating five daily servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce your stroke risk by 30 percent.
- Exercise. Those who are less active are at 20 percent greater risk of stroke.
For more information about stroke, visit www.strokeassociation.org or www.advocatehealth.com/bromenn/stroke-information. Drs. Chauhan and Dick are part of Advocate Medical Group – Neurology, with offices in Bloomington and Normal. Advocate BroMenn Medical Center is an accredited Primary Stroke Center and is the recipient of a 2014 Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Gold Plus Award for Stroke Care from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s “Get With The Guidelines®” program.
Photo credit: Keith Brofsky/Thinkstock