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North Segment Elder Services – Know the Facts About Stroke

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Stroke

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. North Segment Elder Home Services would like to share important information about stokes and the signs of a stroke.

Know the Facts About Stroke

What is stroke?

Stroke kills nearly 150,000 of the 860,000 Americans who die of cardiovascular disease each year- that’s 1 in every 19 deaths from all causes.

A stroke, sometimes called a brain attack, happens in one of two ways:
  • Ischemic stroke–when the blood supply to the brain is blocked.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke–when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

A stroke causes brain tissue to die, which can lead to brain damage, disability, and death. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of serious long-term disability. This is disturbing because about 80% of strokes are preventable. You can greatly reduce your risk for stroke by making lifestyle changes to help control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and, in some cases, by taking medication.

 
Are you at risk?
Anyone, including children, can have a stroke at any time. Every year, about 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke–and about 1 out of 4 of those strokes are recurrent strokes. Having one stroke means you have a greater risk of having another (or recurrent) stroke. Several factors that are beyond your control can increase your risk for stroke. These include your age, sex, and ethnicity. But there are many unhealthy habits, such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and not getting enough exercise, that you can change to lower your stroke risk. Using tobacco products and having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or obesity can also increase your risk for stroke. However, treating these conditions can reduce your risk. Ask your

doctor about preventing or treating these medical conditions.

 

Information from www.cdc.gov/stroke

 

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