You don’t need superpowers to be a hero when it comes to stroke, you just need to pay attention to the risk factors and know the warning signs.
“Stroke is largely preventable and treatable,” said Vallabh Janardhan, M.D., FAHA, director of the Texas Stroke Institute and American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association spokesperson. “The best way to beat a stroke is to never have one — about 85 percent of strokes are due to blockages in brain blood vessels. The second best way to beat a stroke is to identify one immediately when it occurs and call 911.”
For American Stroke Month this May, the American Stroke Association’s Together to End Stroke initiative offers five things everyone should know to be a Stroke Hero and stop the nation’s №5 killers in its tracks.
- Anyone Can Have a Stroke (Even Superheroes) Some stroke patients don’t “look the part” and they may not have traditional stroke risk factors like high blood pressure. Stroke is more common in older people, but young adults, teens, children, babies, and even the unborn can be victims.
- High Blood Pressure is Public Enemy # 1 for Stroke About 80 million Americans have high blood pressure, yet about half with the condition do not have it under control. Three out of four people who have a first stroke report blood pressure higher than 140/90 mm Hg, making blood pressure the most important controllable risk factor for stroke.
- Stroke Targets by Color While stroke is a leading cause of death for all Americans, African-Americans are at an increased risk. African-Americans are twice as likely to have a stroke compared to whites and are more likely to have a stroke at a younger age.
- Stroke is Largely Treatable Clot-busting drugs and clot retrieval medical devices like stent retrievers and vacuum suction devices have made stroke largely treatable, but most patients need to get to an appropriate hospital to be evaluated and treated within 3 to 4.5 hours of the first symptom. With nearly 2 million brain cells dying every minute during a stroke, there’s no time to phone a friend, take a nap, or wait until Uber stops surging. Calling 911 is the best call for a stroke.
- Friends Usually Save Friends from Stroke You’ve heard the saying “Fast friends.” If you’re having a stroke, that’s exactly who you need nearby. Two out of three times, it’s a bystander deciding to call 911 or seek treatment on behalf of someone suffering a stroke. To remember the most common stroke warning signs and what action to take, learn F.A.S.T. If you see F-Face drooping, A-Arm weakness, or S-Speech difficulty, it’s T-Time to call 911.
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