Warning Signs Of Stroke

Stroke prevents blood from reaching parts of your brain. The longer your brain lacks a fresh blood supply — and the oxygen it carries — the greater your risk of long-term damage, according to the US National Library of Medicine.

Stroke usually causes three revealing symptoms. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) created the acronym FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) to help people remember these symptoms and to quickly call 911.

“Stroke may cause one side of the face to droop and one arm to feel weak or drift downward,” said Lawrence Robinson, MD, chair of neurology at Glen Cove Hospital. “You may also slur your speech or develop aphasia, meaning you know what words you want to say but can’t get them out.”

Some people also experience severe dizziness, nausea, vomiting, double vision or what Dr. Robinson calls a “thunderclap” headache — an extremely painful headache that comes out of the blue.

If you notice stroke symptoms, call 911. When taking possible stroke patients to the hospital, EMS technicians alert the Glen Cove Hospital team that someone with stroke symptoms is on the way so lifesaving care begins immediately.

Stroke prevention

Watching for stroke symptoms is only part of protecting yourself. You also need to know if your stroke risk is elevated and take steps to lower it.

The top four stroke risk factors, according to Dr. Robinson, are diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and smoking. Other risk factors include your age — your stroke likelihood nearly doubles every 10 years once you turn 55, according to the AHA/ASA — as well as a family history of stroke and other forms of heart disease. For example, people with the heart rhythm disorder atrial fibrillation may have irregular or abnormally fast heartbeats that lead to stroke-causing blood clots.

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