Stroke is a primary yet often preventable cause of disability in the United States. Here’s what you need to know about stroke.
- Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. One American dies from stroke every four minutes.
- Every year, about 800,000 Americans experience a stroke; more than 600,000 of these are first-time victims.
- People who get emergency medical treatment within three hours of their first stroke symptoms tend to have less disability three months later than those who delayed care.
- Ischemic stroke, an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain, accounts for about 87 percent of all cases.
- African American stroke risk is nearly twice as high as Caucasian risk; Hispanic risk falls between those two groups.
- In a 2005 survey, only 38 percent of respondents in a 2005 survey knew all of the major stroke symptoms and to call 911 if they saw them: numbness or drooping on one side of the face or body, arm weakness and speech difficulty or slurring.
