BE FAST: Recognizing and preventing stroke

Strokes, which some call a “Brain attack,” continue to be a leading cause of death among Americans one of every 19, and they are the number one cause of disability in this country.

Strokes have two causes: a blockage in a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain or by a burst within a blood vessel resulting in bleeding.

The good news is that nearly 75% of strokes can be prevented by making lifestyle changes. So it’s important to know your personal risk factors and make strides to aggressively modify them to help prevent stroke. Even if your risk is low it is important to continue awareness and know where you stand with risk factors and your personal lifestyle.

Risk factors that can be controlled to help prevent Stroke include:

• High Blood Pressure
• Smoking/tobacco use
• High Cholesterol
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Excessive alcohol use
• Abnormal heart rhythm or atrial fibrillation

Uncontrollable risk factors are the ones that we cannot change, but it is important that we know about them to be extra careful of the risk factors that can be changed or modified. Uncontrollable risk factors for stroke include heredity, age, gender, ethnicity, and previous stroke.

When stroke occurs, brain cells are deprived of blood and oxygen, loose function and die in a short period of time. So it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke and take immediate action.

The warning signs of stroke can be remembered by using the acronym BE FAST:

B - Is there a sudden loss of Balance or coordination?
E - Are the Eyes affected? Is there sudden vision loss or blurred or double vision?
F - Are one or both sides of the Face drooping? Ask the person to smile.
A - Ask the person to raise both Arms. Does one side drift downward. Is there weakness or numbness on one side?
S - Does the person have slurred or garbled Speech? Can he/she repeat simple phrases?
T - If any of these symptoms are present, it’s Time to call 911, and note the Time the symptoms started.

The goal in stroke treatment is to minimize the damage to brain cells.

With efforts toward a healthy lifestyle, you will be on your way toward keeping your blood vessels healthy and preventing stroke and thus taking care of your body and mind.

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