Strokes are an unfortunately common medical emergency that can cause long-term impairment and even death. One of the most insidious aspects about strokes is that they can happen unexpectedly and cause extensive damage in a short period of time. This is why American Stroke Awareness Month is so important — knowing the signs and symptoms can help save lives. Learn more below and view the services that we provide at Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology today.
Prevention
There are several things that you can do that can help reduce the chances of having a stroke. Maintaining a healthy diet, reasonable weight, and ensuring that you get frequent physical activity are three of the best approaches. Generally, if you have a healthy lifestyle, your chances decrease. Vices like smoking can increase your chances of suffering a stroke, so quitting is important for prevention.
Identification
Being able to Identify a stroke can be the key to seeking immediate medical assistance for yourself or potentially saving someone else’s life, so it is a good idea to know the symptoms. The acronym FAST can help:
- F = Facial drooping — one side of the victim’s face might lose feeling and droop.
- A = Arm weakness — strokes tend to heavily impact motor skills.
- S = Speech difficulty — the victim might have difficulty articulating themselves.
- T = Time to 911 — if these symptoms appear, seek medical attention right away.
Testing
There are ways to test whether or not someone is at a higher risk of having a stroke even if they previously had one but didn’t notice, which is a possibility. CT scans and MRIs provide a good look at the brain and help doctors get an idea of where the brain was damaged and the severity of the injury. Blood tests, cerebral angiograms, echocardiograms, and carotid ultrasounds can also help when testing for a stroke.
Rehabilitation
Those who are fortunate enough to survive a stroke do have options for treatment. In fact, 10 percent of victims make a full recovery and 25 percent suffer only minor long-term impairment. The crucial part about rehabilitation is that in order for better odds of a successful recovery, the stroke needs to be handled immediately and treatment needs to start as soon as possible. Rehabilitation is frequently a difficult process, but one that can help make a large difference in the victim’s quality of life.
Make sure that you are informed about the signs and symptoms that accompany a stroke. You could end up saving someone’s life — or even your own. See what medical services we can provide for you at Zwanger-Pesiri today.
