DULUTH, MN (OnFocus) – Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke and every three minutes and 11 seconds someone dies of stroke according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
It is why Aspirus Health values highlighting World Stroke Day on Tuesday, October 29 and offering the highest quality stroke care. It is a day meant to underscore the serious nature and high rates of stroke, raise awareness of stroke prevention and treatment and ensure better care and support for survivors.
Strokes happen when there is damage to the brain. In most cases a blood vessel in the brain gets clogged and the brain stops functioning or a blood vessel in the brain breaks and leaks blood. When strokes happen, it’s important to act quickly because the brain stops functioning and dies over time.
“The way it happens is that when a blood vessel is clogged, it is getting a collateral blood flow from other smaller blood vessels, but that collateral blood flow is not robust enough to keep it alive for a long period of time,” Aspirus St. Luke’s Stroke Program Medical Director Dr. Fareed Suri explained. “It is able to keep it alive in the part that’s closer to that collateral flow, but the deeper parts are suffering more and they are dying more quickly. So, the sooner we open up the main blood vessel, the sooner we are able to restore the blood flow, the more we are able to save the brain.”
High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and smoking are the four major risk factors for stroke. While symptoms of a stroke to watch for include:
Balance – Sudden loss of coordination or balance
Eyes – Sudden change in vision
Face – Sudden weakness on one side of the face or facial droop
Arm – Sudden arm or leg weakness or numbness
Speech – Sudden slurred speech, trouble speaking, trouble understanding speech
Terrible Headache – Sudden onset of a terrible headache
Aspirus Health is proud to offer certified stroke care across its locations including its Stroke Centers in Duluth and Wausau. To learn more about strokes and care for them, visit Aspirus.org/StrokeCare.
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Author: News Desk
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