May is American Stroke Awareness Month

You are at a get-together, a friend stumbles and takes a little fall but assures everyone they are fine, that they had just tripped over a brick because of their shoes.  They get up, brush themselves off and refuse the offer to call the paramedics.  While they appear to be a little shaken up, they go about enjoying themselves for the rest of the get-together.  Later, their spouse calls to tell everyone that they were taken to the hospital, where they were informed they had suffered a stroke at the get-together, and had passed away.  Had someone known how to identify the signs of a stroke, their friend might not have passed away.

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Bureau of Emergency Services, in cooperation with the American Heart Association would like its residents to know that May is American Stroke Month.

Stroke doesn’t discriminate; it affects people of all ages including children, ethnicities and backgrounds and can have a devastating impact on your families and community.  Each year 700,000 Americans have a stroke.  Stroke is our nation’s No. 3 killer.  Stroke is the cause of 1 in 15 deaths.  On average, every 45 seconds someone in the United States suffers a stroke.  Some people have a higher risk of stroke.  About 46,000 more women than men suffer a stroke each year.  The lifetime risk is greater than 1 in 6 after age 55.  African-Americans are twice as likely as Caucasians to have a stroke (about 100,000 each year) and people with high blood pressure (140/90+) have about twice the risk of stroke as people with blood pressure under 120/80.  Some stroke victims don't die.  They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.  Neurologists say that if a stroke victim can get help within 3 hours, it is possible to totally reverse the effects of a stroke.  The trick is getting the stroke recognized, diagnosed, and treated within 3 hours.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.  Lack of awareness spells disaster.  Stroke kills 2 million brain cells per minute.  The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. 

Fortunately, most strokes are preventable, and we can take steps now to reduce having a stroke.  In addition to your mother’s eyes or father’s nose, you can also inherit high blood pressure, diabetes and a significantly higher risk of stroke, heart attack and other major health problems.  Assess your family’s stroke risk with the “Power to End Stroke Family Tree” that is available on line at www.StrokeAssociation.org/power or by calling 1-888-4-STROKE.

In most cases, stroke isn’t inevitable.  You can prevent it.  Take the “Power to End Stroke” by –

Put down cigarettes and stop smoking,

Observe advice from your doctor and know your family’s medical history,

Watch your weight and be physically active at least 30 minutes on most days,

Eat healthfully; avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium, and;

Regulate high blood pressure and diabetes.

The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District wants its residents to learn the warning signs of stroke. Remember 3 steps in recognizing a stroke are to ask the victim to perform simple tasks beginning with the first 3 letters of the word - "STR".  Ask them to Smile or Stick out their tongue. One stroke symptom is if the tongue is crooked, goes to one side or the other, or if they are unable to complete a smile.  Ask them to Talk; to speak a simple sentence. Ask them to Raise both arms.

Other warning signs of a stroke 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, sudden severe headache with no known cause.

If they have trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to a dispatcher.

For more heart health, heart attack or stroke information, please visit the American Heart Association’s website at: www.americanheart.org/cpr .  For more information on this, or other EMS programs, please contact Bureau Chief Dan Anderson at 353-3000.