May is Stroke Awareness Month.
Dr. Simona Eng with Peninsula Regional Medical Center tells us stroke affects 800,000 people. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and is the number one adult disability in the United States.
Dr. Eng says the U.S spends over $70 billion in stroke research and care.
“Every four minutes, someone is dying from a stroke and every 40 seconds, someone suffers from a stroke.”
Dr. Eng says 80% of the time, a stroke is preventable.
It’s important to have a doctor to look after you to make sure your cholesterol is good, your blood pressure is good, your blood sugar is good.
Dr. Eng also tells us about the acronym, F.A.S.T., and how we can use it to quickly check the symptoms of someone who may be having a stroke.
F: Face, drop on one side when you ask them to smile
A: Arm, drifts down when you ask them to raise their arm
S: Speech, repeat a phrase. Is it slurred or strange?
T: Time, find out when the first sign was of the stroke
