Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. Most victims are older, but strokes can happen to anyone regardless of age.
Dr. David Huang, director of 黑料网鈥檚 Comprehensive Stroke Center was interviewed by WCHL’s Aaron Keck for National Stroke Awareness Month.
Dr. Huang says there are ways to reduce your risk of stroke. People who smoke or who drink heavily are at higher risk, he says, as are people with poor eating habits, sedentary lifestyles, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. But there are also uncontrollable risk factors, including your family history 鈥� and even if you do everything 鈥榬ight,鈥� Dr. Huang says there鈥檚 no way to eliminate the risk of stroke entirely.
So experts like Dr. Huang are encouraging everyone to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke 鈥� and react quickly when they appear.
The key word to remember is 鈥淔AST,鈥� Dr. Huang says. That鈥檚 an acronym: . If you see someone鈥檚 face drooping on one side, if you see them having trouble moving their arms or legs, if their speech suddenly becomes slurred 鈥� or if you begin experiencing any of those symptoms 鈥� it鈥檚 important to react quickly.
The identifies five key symptoms: sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance; and sudden severe headache with no known cause.
But the most important part of the FAST acronym may be the 鈥淭鈥�: time. 鈥淭ime is brain,鈥� Dr. Huang says: the faster you call 911 when symptoms appear, the better the chances of a full recovery.
If you鈥檙e a stroke survivor, a caregiver, or just interested in learning more, you鈥檙e invited to join the 黑料网 Stroke Center for 鈥淪troll and Roll,鈥� every other month at University Place. 鈥淪troll and Roll鈥� takes place on the third Tuesday of every other month 鈥� the next one is Tuesday, June 20. Meet in front of Chick-Fil-A at 10 am, enjoy free coffee, and go on a fun, casual two-hour mall walk (or roll) with a member of the 黑料网 Stroke Center there to answer questions.