health & wellness

Stroke Warning
Signs Save Lives

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-

uring American Stroke
Month in May, the American
Heart Association/
American Stroke Association encour-
ages Michigan residents to learn two
things that may save a life:
• Know if you are at risk for stroke.
• 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 Kristian Hurley
of the Southeast Michigan American
Heart Association. "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 they have it. It's
important to check your blood pres-
sure regularly and talk to your doctor
about healthy levels for you."
Through the American Stroke
Association's Together to End Stroke
initiative, the association provides
information and tools to help people
prevent, treat and beat stroke. A free
stroke risk assessment, available at
StrokeAssociation.org/strokemonth,
helps individuals to evaluate their
personal stroke risk and to work with
their doctor to begin a prevention plan.

Learn the acronym F.A.S.T. to
recognize a stroke and what to do.

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.
Additional stroke signs include sud-
den severe headache with no known
cause; sudden trouble walking, dizzi-
ness, loss of balance or coordination;
sudden trouble seeing in one or both
eyes; or sudden confusion or trouble
understanding.

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42 May 8 • 2014