May is Stroke Awareness Month; What risk factors should you know?

JACKSON, Tenn. — If you feel you could be suffering a stroke, medical experts say there are signs to look for.

“An easy acronym for everybody to know is called F.A.S.T., which stands for facial drooping, arm weakness, a change in speech, and it stands for ‘Time to call 9-1-1,'” said Dr. Peter Gardner, medical director at Physicians Quality Care.

Dr. Gardner says about two thirds of people with a stroke will have some type of permanent side effect and that certain factors increase the chance for one in the future.

“There are some modifiable risk factors,” Dr. Gardner said. “Those would be things like diabetes, obviously control that, hypertension, probably your No. 1 risk, obesity will be one, high cholesterol will be one, smoking will be a big one.”

Stroke specialist Amy Stutts says more than 60,000 Americans will die from a stroke during the month of May. She has been trying to raise awareness about it this month in hopes of helping people treat it more quickly.

“You really just have to recognize the symptoms,” Stutts said. “It may be a suddenness of something, like a sudden headache or sudden loss of balance.”

Stutts says treatment needs to happen in less than three hours before any brain damage occurs.

“The quicker we can get you to the emergency room, the faster we can dissolve the clot and then restore your function,” Stutts said. “The longer you wait, unfortunately, brain tissue will die.”

Stutts says age can be a factor for strokes as well, with adults 50 and older having the highest risks. There are resources available online where you can assess to see if you’re at risk. There also are events throughout the month to help bring awareness.

For more information about strokes, visit the Seen on 7 section of our website.