Do You Know the Warning Signs of a Stroke? #singFAST

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Did you know that stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading preventable case of disability in the US? Each year, about 800,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke. Furthermore, someone in the world has a stroke every 2 seconds.
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As you may know, World Stroke Day is Thursday, 10/29, so the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the Ad Council are helping to raise awareness about Stroke knowledge, prevention, and what to do in an emergency. Here’s why this work matters.

  • 1 in 6 people will have a stroke in their lifetime.
  • 1 in 3 Americans cannot name at least one sign of stroke.
  • When you recognize a stroke and immediately call 9-1-1, the person has a greater chance of getting to an appropriate hospital quickly and being assessed for treatment options like a clot-busting drug or clot-busting device.

We hope you’ll support the effort because together, we can end stroke.

It’s important to have the knowledge to spot a stroke F.A.S.T.

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How to spot a stroke F.A.S.T. (the warning signs):

  • F – Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
  • A – Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
  • S – Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like: “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
  • T- Time to call 9-1-1 – If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately. www.StrokeAssociation.org/warningsigns

Facts about Strokes:

  • Someone in the world has a stroke every 2 seconds.
  • In the U.S. stroke is the No. 5 cause of death overall, killing nearly 130,000 people a year.
  • Stroke is the No. 1 preventable cause of long-term disability.
  • About 800,000 people have a stroke every year.

Download and share mobile app There’s an app for that and at least one person is glad she had it! www.StrokeAssociation.org/warningsigns

Want to learn more? Join the @American Stroke Twitter Chat! It will be hosted by @iHeartRadio on 10/29 at 12pm CT. The hashtag is #StrokeChat. Hear other people’s F.A.S.T. Songs, share your own, and join us for a great discussion about stroke! There will be giveaways, so stop by and tweet with us.

Comments

  1. This is such important information that could really help myself or someone else in the future. You just never know. Thanks for the information!!

  2. Terra Heck says

    These are all great tips on determining if someone may be having a stroke or not. I work for 911 and when someone calls in claiming the patient has had a stroke we ask the questions about speech, droopiness, and weakness. It helps the ambulance determine the probability of a stroke before they get there.

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