May is Stroke Awareness Month

Stroke doesn’t discriminate by age.

It can strike anyone at any time, but a local doctor says the good news is that the sooner the treatment, the better the chance of recovery.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

May is Stroke Awareness Month and a good time to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of stroke and how to “Think F.A.S.T.”

F.A.S.T. stands for the key symptoms of stroke:

• Face Drooping: When one side of the face droops or is numb. Ask the person to smile.
• Arm Weakness: When one arm is weak or numb. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• Speech Difficulty: When the speech is slurred or when person is unable to speak or difficult to understand. Ask the person to repeat a sentence. Is the sentence repeated correctly?
• Time to call 911: If the person shows any of these symptoms, call 911 and get them to a hospital immediately.

“The more we can educate the public about the warning signs and symptoms of stroke, the more lives can be saved,” said Jeffrey M. Katz, MD, Chief of Vascular Neurology and Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at North Shore University Hospital. “The sooner a patient with stroke-like symptoms is brought to the nearest stroke-designated hospital, the better chance of a good clinical outcome.

“A clot-busting drug called tPA is only effective when given within the first few hours of the initial appearance of stroke-like symptoms,” he said.