Did you know that North Carolina is in the "stroke belt" where stroke death is two times greater than the national average? Our program on Monday night, May 18th, was arranged by Dick Newton, who brought us Bob Thomas, who shared information about strokes and stroke prevention.
Strokes are the third leading reason for death in the US, and second in the world. Unfortunately, the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina has the highest rate of stroke victims in the US. 85% are transient ischemic attacks. TIAs are small strokes that can last for minutes or hours. They are treatable and should never be ignored.
To test for stroke follow the FAST Stroke Assessment.
F for Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side droop?
A for Arms. Ask them to raise their arms. Does one drift downward?
S for Speech. Ask the person to repeat a sentence. Do they slur or possibly cannot repeat
the sentence?
the sentence?
T for Take Action. If a person shows any of these symptoms, TIME IS IMPORTANT! 
Call 911 FAST!
Call 911 FAST!
Ways to prevent or lower stroke risk:
Treat and Control High Blood Pressure
Quit Smoking
Manage Heart Disease
Control and Treat Diabetes
Eat a Balanced Diet Maintain a Healthy Weight and Exercise
For more information and access to a Stroke Support Group, call 252-808-6474.
1 comment:
With fried food served everywhere, it's no surprise that we're in the "Stroke Belt". What is surprising is that our incident of heart disease is not also the highest in the country, with that honor going to NY State. Who would have guessed? And, they can't figure out why...
Post a Comment