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  • Stroke

     
     
     
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    With stroke, every second counts! Seek medical help immediately if one or more of the warning signs for stroke is present.

    Know the Warning Signs of Stroke

    • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side
    • Sudden confusion
    • Sudden trouble speaking or understanding
    • Sudden trouble seeing with one or both eyes
    • Sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
    • Sudden dizziness
    • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

    Women and Stroke

    Stroke, the leading cause of disability in the U.S., like heart disease, is also a disease shared by women. Twice as many women will die of stroke than breast cancer each year. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, experts believe that as many as 80 percent of strokes could be prevented.

    These warning signs for stroke may occur more often in women:
    • Sudden nausea
    • Sudden hiccups
    • Sudden feeling of tiredness
    • Sudden chest pain or shortness of breath
    • Sudden racing heart

    Call 911 Immediately

    Call 911 immediately if one or more of these warning signs are present. Remember: With stroke, time lost is brain lost.

    Even if warning signs diminish, get medical help right away. Don't wait hoping symptoms will go away on their own. Don't delay thinking a good night's sleep will take care of the problem.

    Why Act Quickly?

    A stroke occurs when the brain is suddenly deprived of blood and oxygen. With each passing minute, brain tissue dies. When brain tissue dies, disability, and even death, can occur.

    Immediate medical care can stop stroke caused by a blockage in a blood vessel in the brain. Clot-busting drugs can be administered to open blockages. And treatments, similar to those doctors use to open blocked arteries during a heart attack, can remove blockages in the brain to quickly restore blood flow - and reduce the chance of disability or death.

    Nothing can help, though, if too much time passes.

    We can't say it too often: Call 911 immediately at the first sign of stroke.

  • Understanding Stroke

    Stroke Risk Factors

    Among the factors that increase the chance of stroke, some are out of our control. Those we inherit from our parents are, for example, beyond our control.

    Women and Stroke

    Stroke, the leading cause of disability in the U.S., like heart disease, is also a disease shared by women. Twice as many women will die of stroke than breast cancer each year. According to the National Women’s Health Information Center, experts believe that as many as 80 percent of strokes could be prevented.

    Your Stroke Care Team

    Your primary care physician may be the first to determine that you have risk factors for a stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular disease. He or she may initiate treatments, such as dietary changes, exercise and medications to control your risk factors.