May is National Stroke Awareness Month

Every year twice as many women die from stroke than from breast cancer. Help keep the women in your life healthy by learning more about stroke signs and symptoms.

Learn the Signs and Symptoms

Learning the signs of stroke can save precious time and brain function. The American Stroke Association declares, ‘time lost is brain lost.’ In many cases patients who experience stroke are not the ones who recognize the symptoms. It is important that everyone including family, friends and co-workers learn the signs and symptoms of stroke. If you or someone you are close to is experiencing stroke-like symptoms, think: HALT the stroke. The HALT acronym is a mnemonic device that will help you remember stroke symptoms.
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HALT the stroke

H – Head: severe headache or neck pain (especially if it is the worst of your life, or first of your life), facial weakness, numb, vision loss
A – Arm: Weakness, numbness, clumsiness
L – Leg: Weakness, numbness, difficulty walking, unsteadiness
T – Talking/Time: Speech difficulty, slurred, word finding difficulty, time is critical – remember three-hour window

These signals indicate a quick trip to the emergency room. Call 911 immediately.

  • Abrupt Onset: Stroke symptoms usually come on within seconds or minutes. They may progress over hours but not days or weeks.
  • One-sided Symptoms: Numbness, weakness, or clumsiness is only on one side of your body.


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    Who is at Risk?

    Most patients are 70 years or older when having a stroke, although stroke can happen at any age. You can’t change your age but there are many risk factors that you can control through medication or diet to decrease your risk for stroke.

    Stroke Risk Factors:

  • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Smoking
  • Heavy alcohol use (more than 1 or 2 drinks a day)
  • Physical inactivity (less than 30 minutes exercise a week)
  • Diet high in fat and sodium

    Educate yourself and your family on stroke signs and symptoms and talk to your primary care health provider on what you can do to reduce your risk for stroke.

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