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Recognizing
National Stroke Awareness Month
Dear Friend:
As
you may know, May has been declared National Stroke
Awareness Month. The goal is to build awareness,
understanding and prevention of what is now the fourth leading
cause of death in the United States. An estimated
795,000 Americans will have a stroke this year – averaging one
every 40 seconds – and the idea that strokes only occur in
older individuals is a myth. They can happen to anyone,
and that is why stroke education is so critical.
As part of these efforts, the National Stroke Association
has been disseminating educational material regarding the
indicators of a stroke, and I wanted to share some of this
information with you. The association lists the
following warning signs as symptoms of a potential stroke:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg –
especially on one side of the body, and may include drooping
on one side of the face.
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
- Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination.
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
The National Stroke Association
advises that anyone having any of these symptoms should call
9-1-1 immediately. The goal is to produce the shortest
amount of time possible between the onset of a stroke and
treatment, as early detection and treatment significantly
improve both the prognosis and the rate of recovery from a
stroke.
I strongly encourage you to
review these warning signs and share them with others in your
community; awareness plays a fundamental role in reducing the
impact of a stroke. As always, please do not hesitate to
let me know whenever I can be of assistance.
You are invited to sign up for
future electronic newsletters. Please feel free to
forward this message to friends and neighbors you think might
be interested in this issue.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Costello
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