What is the stroke?
A stroke, sometimes called a “brain attack,” occurs when blood flow to certain areas of the brain is cut off. This can be caused by a blood clot blocking an artery, or a blood vessel bursting. The brain does not receive enough blood, the brain cells begin to die. Depending on the location and severity of the stroke, the damage can be quite minor, such as limb weakness, or more severe, such as paralysis, loss of speech, or death. Almost 800,000 people will suffer the stroke in the coming year, resulting in an estimated 137,000 dead.
Signs of the Plague
Some common symptoms of stroke include:
- There is weakness of mind or numbness in the arms, legs, or face; this is often only in one part of the body.
- Feeling confused or having difficulty speaking or understanding what others are saying
- Vision problems in one or both eyes
- Difficulty or problems with walking, balance or coordination
- Headaches
Often, when someone suffers a stroke, they don’t understand what’s going on. Let the signs be light, and not help until it is too late.
Innocent Test for Stroke Symptoms
If you think someone has suffered a stroke, here’s a simple test. You can remember what to do with the first three letters of the strike, S T R. Another acronym is SEVERE, which stands for Face, Arms, Speech and Time. Time is of the critical importance to get medical help for a stroke victim as quickly as possible.
Smile- Ask the person to smile. Stroke victims will often have paralysis on one side of their face, so their smile is lopsided.
Talk- Ask the person to repeat the sentence. If they have had a stroke, their speech may be slurred or confused.
Raise both arms – Ask him to raise both arms at the same time. One arm, if they have had a stroke, can carry it downwards.
The plague is not all that. If a person has difficulty with any of these activities, call 911 immediately.
Some stroke risk factors can be controlled, others cannot. Controllable stroke risk factors include lifestyle and treatable medicine, such as:
- Smoking
- Drinking
- PAIN
- Lack of exercise
- diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Cusa big
- Irregular heartbeat
- Atherosclerosis
- Cardiovascular problems
Impotent stroke risk factors include:
- Kind of hit history
- Age- increases above 55
- Gender- men are at higher risk
- Race- more about American, Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic
- Previous stroke
You can estimate your stroke risk by answering questions on the Stroke Risk Scorecard developed by the National Stroke Association.
For more information, see the National Stroke Association website.
