What is the nation’s number three killer and leading cause of serious disability?
The answer may surprise you, but each year about 700,000 Americans suffer from a stroke, and over 167,000 of them die.
About 40,000 more women than men have a stroke each year, and in 2001, 61.4 percent of fatal stroke victims were women.
May is Stroke Awareness month, and WTRN and The Daily Herald have joined together to co-sponsor the second annual American Stroke Association screenings at St. Matthew’s Parish Hall on Wednesday, May 26 from 1-3 p.m.
Free blood pressure screenings and stroke risk assessments will be offered by the American Stroke Association and HealthSouth. No appointment is necessary for those who plan to attend.
The best way to prevent a stroke is to learn about the risks that affect individuals as well as to learn about the warning signs of stroke.
“The warning signs of stroke are not always obvious,” said communications chairperson for The American Stroke Association’s Blair County Division, Anthea L. Germano. “People need to take time to learn the warning signs so they or someone they know can recognize if they are having a stroke.
“The warning signs are: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and sudden severe headache with no known cause.
“If any of these signs appear, call 9-1-1 immediately. Treat stroke like the emergency it is, because time lost is brain lost,” she added.
Germano said some stroke risk factors cannot be changed such as having a family history of stroke, gender and increasing age.
However, many risks can be controlled such as high blood pressure, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, high cholesterol levels and excessive drinking.
The goal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, is to reduce disability and death from stroke through research, education and advocacy. It its 2002-03 fiscal year, the association spent $141.4 million on stroke.
For more information, visit the web site at strokeassociation.org or call 1-888-4-Stroke.
