May is American Stroke Awareness Month
Strokes can affect people from all ages and all backgrounds. Learn how to give yourself the best chance against a stroke.
Every 40 seconds, someone in the US suffers from a stroke. It’s the fourth leading cause of death in the US with 133,000 Americans dying in 2014 alone. Out of a total of 800,000 strokes that occur each year. That’s one person every four minutes! A stroke, sometimes referred to as a brain attack, occurs when a blockage stops the flow of blood to the brain or when a blood vessel in or around the brain ruptures. Many people falsely believe that strokes can only happen to old people. The truth is that nearly one-quarter of all stroke victims were under the age of 65. Become aware of what strokes can lead to in a person’s life, and how you can act FAST to save someone’s life.
Strokes often lead to serious, life-changing complications that include things like
- Paralysis or weakness on one side of the body.
- Problems with thinking, awareness, attention, learning, judgment, and memory.
- Problems understanding or forming speech.
- Difficulty controlling or expressing emotions.
- Numbness or strange sensations.
- Pain in the hands and feet.
- Depression.
The best chance for someone to survive a stroke is if the people around them act FAST. FAST is an acronym standing for
- Face drooping – especially one side of the face
- Arm weakness – again, it will likely be one arm; the same side as the face
- Speech difficulty – confusion, or difficulty understanding
- Time to call 911 – call an ambulance right away
The faster you recognize the signs of a stroke the better chances of someone surviving their stroke.
It’s imperative that you act fast not only in the month of May but every day, should anyone around you have a stroke. Being covered in the unfortunate event it happens to you is not such a bad idea. For all of your health insurance needs to keep you feeling at your best, contact Remland Insurance in the City of Orange, California.