May is National Stroke Awareness Month
Chapin, SC – The Chapin Rehabilitation Center wants you to know that May is National Stroke Awareness Month. According to the website www.Whathealth.com, National Stroke Awareness Month is an annual event held within the United States each year. The aim of National Stroke Awareness Month is to make Americans aware that they may be able to 'Save A Life' of a person experiencing a stroke.
Amanda Breckinridge of the Chapin Rehabilitation Center says that a stroke, often called a brain attack as well, happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off by a clot or tear in a blood vessel.
According to the website of the American Stroke Associate at www.strokeassociation.org, there are two kinds of strokes.
First, there’s Ischemic strokes. These account for about 87% of all stroke cases. The stroke association’s website says that these strokes occur as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. The underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls
The website also describes in detail the second kind of stroke. That is a hemorrhagic stroke. These accounts for the approximately 13% percent of stroke cases which aren’t attributed to blockages. The site says these results from a weakened vessel that ruptures and bleeds into the surrounding brain. The blood accumulates and compresses the surrounding brain tissue. The two types of hemorrhagic strokes are intracerebral (within the brain) hemorrhage or subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The stroke association’s website say that there are a number of different signs and symptoms of a stroke.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
They use the acronym FAST as a quick way to recognize if someone might be having a stoke. First:
FACE DROOPING
Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven or lopsided?
ARM WEAKNESS
Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
SPEECH DIFFICULTY
Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the person able to correctly repeat the words?
TIME TO CALL 9-1-1
If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, you need to call 9-1-1 and say, "I think this is a stroke" to help get the person to the hospital immediately. Time is important! Don't delay, and also note the time when the first symptoms appeared. Emergency responders will want to know.
For additional information on strokes, check out the stroke association’s website at www.strokeassociation.org.
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