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Stroke: Think About the Women in Your Life
Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States experiences a stroke. Yet, despite being the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in this country, fewer than one in five Americans can recognize a symptom of a stroke. In addition, some people still believe that this condition is simply a “stroke of fate,” not realizing that stroke is preventable and treatable.
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May is National Stroke Awareness Month and along with the National Stroke Association, Leesburg Regional Medical Center’s Certified Primary Stroke Center and Spirit of Women, we are urging people to take charge of their health by knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, asking their doctors about stroke prevention, and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. Consider these facts about women and stroke:
- Twice as many women die from stroke than from breast cancer every year.
- One-half of all African American women will die from stroke or heart disease.
- More women than men die from stroke
- Women outnumber men as caregivers to stroke survivors
- 4 out of 5 American families will be touched by stroke
Stroke is one of the most preventable of all life-threatening health problems, provided that you pay proper attention to lifestyle and medical risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. Furthermore, treatment exists to help minimize the effects of a stroke; however it must be given within 3 hours of the first symptom. So it is important for people to be able to recognize the symptoms of stroke and seek emergency medical attention.
Recognizing stroke symptoms can be easy if you learn to think F.A.S.T.
- F—Face Ask the person to smile.
Does one side of the face droop?
- A—Arms Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one
arm drift downward?
- S—Speech Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Does
the speech sound slurred?
- T—Time If you observe any of these signs, then it’s time to call 9-1-1.
Studies show that stroke patients who arrive at the hospital by ambulance receive quicker treatment than those that arrive by their own means. But where are the best hospitals to go to for the treatment of stroke? Leesburg Regional Medical Center has the only Certified Stroke Center in Lake and Sumter Counties. For more information, visit our website at CFHAlliance.org. To find a stroke center in other areas, please visit www.stroke.org and click on the emergency stroke center locations or call 1-800-STROKES.
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