Although the month is almost over, we’d like to go ahead and recognize the existence of National Stroke Awareness Month.  Sponsored by the National Stroke Association, National Stroke Awareness Month is an excellent time to make sure that patients are aware that stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. 

Most people don’t know the risk factors.  And, according to an article from HealthDay News, most people don’t know the symptoms and wouldn’t know to call 911 if they were having a stroke. 

Three typical symptoms of a stroke include:

1.  Sudden slurred speech.

2.  Sudden numbness on one side of the body.

3.  Sudden blurry vision.

According to the HealthDay News article “Too Many Wouldn’t Call 911 If Stroke Hit,” the fastest way to dissolve a stroke-causing blood clot is with an injection of a clot-dissolving drug, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and that must be done within 4.5 hours. 

Learn more about the risk factors at the National Stroke Association website.
Learn more about symptoms and calling for help from HealthDay News.