Trident Health calls for awareness of stroke symptoms, treatment

If you or someone you loved was having a stroke, would you know what do to to get help?

With the arrival of May, National Stroke Awareness Month, Trident Health is raising awareness of stroke symptoms and treatment. Strokes are a leading cause of death and long-term disability in the United States, and affect a quarter of a million people in the U.S. each year. Strokes are caused when the blood in your brain is blocked by a clot or rupture; without proper blood flow, your brain is starved of vital nutrients and oxygen, which, in turn, begins to kill nerve cells rapidly.

“Time is crucial in the treatment of stroke, as on average, every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke and roughly every four minutes someone dies from a stroke,” said Allison Walters, AVP of Cardiovascular Services at Trident Health. “The earlier a stroke is recognized and the patient receives medical attention, the greater chance of recovery.”

It is important that everyone recognize the symptoms of a stroke so that you can get yourself or another help as quickly as possible. If you or someone around you suddenly starts exhibiting the following symptoms, call 911 immediately:

• Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the face or facial drooping

• Sudden numbness or weakness in an arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech

• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

An easy way to remember signs for a stroke is “F.A.S.T.” Dr. Thomas Privett, Trident Health Stroke Medical Director, stated, “F is for face – is your face drooping? A is for arms – can you lift both arms? S is for speech – are you slurring your words and T is for time, call 9-1-1 immediately because with stroke, time is brain.”

For more information on strokes and what Trident Health is doing to prevent and treat them, visit Tridentstrokecare.com.

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Natalie Vereen-Davis

A native of Mount Pleasant, Natalie attended Bishop England High School (Go Bishops!) before heading off to Clemson University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English. She went on to earn an M.A. in British Literature from the University of South Carolina.

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