May is Stroke Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness about the warning signs of stroke and the importance of prevention.
According to the American Heart Association, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of death. Health experts say up to 80% of strokes are preventable through healthy lifestyle choices, including managing blood pressure, maintaining a healthy diet and staying physically active.
At Hansen Family Hospital in Iowa Falls, Emergency Department Team Lead Brittanee Deeringer says recognizing symptoms early can make a critical difference in outcomes.
“If someone is having a stroke, some of the most common symptoms include weakness or numbness, especially on one side of the body, trouble speaking or understanding speech, vision problems in one or both eyes, dizziness, loss of balance or difficulty walking, or a severe headache with no known cause.”
She also explains the role blood pressure plays in stroke risk and why monitoring it is so important.
“High blood pressure increases your risk with the stress that’s put on the body,” Deeringer says. “But you can reduce that by following a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins such as fish or poultry, and healthy fats like nuts, seeds, and oils, olive oil specifically. Try to limit your salt, which will increase your blood pressure, as well as processed foods, sugary drinks, and saturated and trans fats.”
Deeringer says the acronym BE FAST is a simple way to remember the sudden warning signs of a stroke and stresses the importance of acting quickly and calling 911.
“Back here in the ER we focus on BE FAST, which is balance, eyes, face, arms, speech, time,” Deeringer says. “Balance includes a sudden loss of balance or coordination. Eyes would be a sudden vision change. Face drooping on one side when smiling. Arms, one arm weak or drifting downward. Speech slurred or hard to understand. And T is for time. It’s time to call 911 immediately.”
Health experts encourage people to learn the signs of a stroke, noting that immediate treatment can significantly improve outcomes.
Full interview below
