May is American Stroke Month, and Mayo Clinic Health System is reminding people that a stroke can happen at any time to anyone, regardless of age.
“Some signs that a person may be having a stroke include someone suddenly slurring their words, or a person’s hand may stop working to pick up an object,” says Bridget Servais, registered nurse and stroke coordinator, Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse. “It can happen very quickly that a person goes from feeling completely normal to ill in just seconds.”
That’s why it’s important to familiarize yourself with stroke, its effects, and what to do if you or someone near you is experiencing stroke symptoms.
- Strokes affect the oxygen and nutrients supplied to your brain.
Strokes occur when nutrients and oxygen are not delivered to the brain through blood vessels, leading to the death of brain cells. This lack of delivery can be caused by a clot in a blood vessel obstructing the blood flow to the brain, known as an ischemic stroke, or when a blood vessel ruptures and prevents blood flow to the brain, known as a hemorrhagic stroke.
Sometimes, the obstruction to the blood flow and the resulting symptoms are caused by a temporary clot and are transient, resulting in a mini-stroke or transient ischemic attack, or TIA.
- Strokes can happen to anyone.
“Strokes can happen to anyone, including young people, but there are risk factors that can put you at higher risk of stroke,” says Brooke Warm, registered nurse and stroke coordinator, Mayo Clinic Health System.
Common controllable risk factors include:
Atrial fibrillation, which increases stroke risk by five times
Diabetes
Excessive alcohol intake — an average of more than one drink per day for women or more than two drinks a day for men
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Illicit drug use
Obesity
Obstructive sleep apnea
Physical inactivity
Sickle cell anemia
Smoking or vaping
Uncontrollable risk factors include:
Gender
Heredity
Increasing age
Race
- Be prepared to spot the signs of a stroke.
“The success of most stroke treatments depends on how soon a person is seen by a health care provider after symptoms onset,” Servais says. “Early treatment can minimize damage to the brain and any disability that follows.”
The American Stroke Association lists these symptoms to help you know when to seek medical care:
F = Face drooping: Ask the person to smile and see if the smile is uneven.
A = Arm weakness: Ask the person to raise both arms and see if one arm drifts down.
S = Speech difficulty: Ask the person to speak and see if the speech is slurred.
T = Time to call 911: Stroke is an emergency. Call 911 at once. Note the time when any of the symptoms first appear.
Other stroke symptoms to watch for include:
Numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech
Sudden onset severe headache with no known cause
Sudden vision issues, such as trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Trouble walking, loss of balance, dizziness or coordination
“Remember, stroke is a medical emergency,” Warm says. “Seconds count because the brain loses 1.9 million neurons each minute after a stroke starts. Call 911 immediately. Stay with the person and follow any instructions given to you by the 911 dispatcher.”
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