Stroke Awareness Foundation

Learning the signs and symptoms of stroke can help save lives. Get the Free Emergency Stroke Awareness Foundation App today.

Multilingual Stroke Information in:
English • Spanish-Español • Chinese-中文 • Vietnamese-Quốc ngữ

The Stroke Awareness Foundation App shows signs of stroke in simple easy graphics. Reference stroke signs anywhere you have your phone.

Our app will help you locate the closest certified stroke center (not all hospitals have stroke treatment capabilities) so you are more likely to get stroke treatment fast.

If you are having a stroke our app will allow you to call 911 directly and instantly send text messages to as many as 3 emergency contacts, notifying them that you are having a medical emergency, your geo-location and to call 911 on your behalf.

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Stroke Awareness Foundation Mobile App Free Emergency Stroke App. Identify Stroke Signs, locate Certified Stroke Centers, Simultaneously call 911 and text Emergency Contacts.

Three biomarkers in blood can better predict the risk of major cardiovascular events in women decades earlier than previous tests, giving them more time to address their risk with lifestyle changes and therapeutics, according to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard affiliate.

Findings support universal screening of three biomarkers, not just cholesterol

In a landmark study of 27,939 initially healthy American women, the researchers used a single measure of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), or “bad cholesterol”; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of vascular inflammation; and lipoprotein(a), a genetically determined lipid fraction, to predict risk over a 30-year follow-up period.

Researchers found that, compared to women with the lowest levels of individual markers:

Women with the highest levels of hsCRP had a 70 percent greater risk of a major cardiovascular event;

Women with the highest levels of LDL-C had a 36 percent greater risk;

Women with the highest levels of Lp(a) had a 33 percent greater risk.

While hsCRP was the strongest of the three biomarkers, all were very important. More markers meant greater risk; women who had elevated levels of all three markers were 2.6 times likelier to have a major adverse cardiovascular event. This association was even stronger for stroke — women with the most elevated levels were 3.7 times likelier to have a stroke over the next 30 years.

“These data should be a wake-up call for women,” said co-author Julie Buring, principal investigator of the Women’s Health Study and an epidemiologist in the Brigham’s Division of Preventive Medicine. “Waiting until women are in their 60s and 70s to initiate heart attack and stroke prevention is a prescription for failure.”

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/09/blood-test-can-warn-women-of-risk-decades-before-heart-attack-stroke/

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Blood test can warn women of risk decades before heart attack, stroke — Harvard Gazette Findings support universal screening of three biomarkers, not just cholesterol.

How do you recognize when someone is having a stroke? An American has a stroke every 40 seconds, and every four minutes, someone dies from stroke. See the signs to watch for, and know why minutes matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOoQxnLigHw

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Red flags you need to know to survive a stroke How do you recognize when someone is having a stroke? An American has a stroke every 40 seconds, and every four minutes, someone dies from stroke. See the si...

Visit the Strokeinfo.org today to get multilingual Stroke Information in: English, Spanish-Español, Chinese-中文, Vietnamese-Quốc ngữ, Tagalog, Farsi-فارسی, Afghan, Portuguese-Português

https://www.strokeinfo.org/signs/picklanguage/

Multilingual Stroke information in English, Spanish-Español, Chinese-中文, Vietnamese-Quốc ngữ, Tagalog, Farsi-فارسی, Afghan, Portuguese-Português Stroke is an emergency El derrame cerebral es una emergencia 中風是一種危急的情況

A study confirms that smoking significantly increases the risk of stroke. Stroke leads to considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Stroke may be ischemic or hemorrhagic and occurs due to injury to the blood vessels and tissues of the brain.

Oxidative stress, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis characterize stroke risk. High smoking rates, family smoking, and high amounts of toxic to***co components, including carbon monoxide, ni****ne, and tar, all raise the risk of a stroke.

The study demonstrates that smoking significantly increases stroke development risk, primarily due to exposure to carbon monoxide and ni****ne.

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Strokes were once considered an affliction affecting older people. Now, incidents are increasing of stroke and stroke deaths among the middle-aged -- 45 to 64, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On July 25, 2020, at age 50 Casey Brewer suffered a massive stroke. His doctor was able to perform a craniotomy to drain bleeding in his brain. He remained at the University of Maryland Medical Center in a medically induced coma for three months.

Now, four years later, one wouldn't know at first glance that Casey has brain damage from a near fatal stroke.

Casey said the cause of his stroke was undiagnosed hypertension, likely caused by significant stress at work.

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'You lose everything': Family shares experience with stroke A Harford County family is sharing their experience with a stroke that changed forever their lives.

Quickly identify stroke symptoms, alert emergency contacts of your location and that you are having a stroke, and find the nearest certified stroke center anywhere in the US. Download our free stroke emergency app:

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Stroke Awareness Foundation Mobile App Free Emergency Stroke App. Identify Stroke Signs, locate Certified Stroke Centers, Simultaneously call 911 and text Emergency Contacts.

43-year-old Hudson was continuing to carry out his healthy lifestyle habits. He worked out daily, stuck to a balanced diet, went to annual physicals, wasn't overweight, and didn't smoke or drink excessively. Hudson did have a family link to strokes (as the American Heart Association says, a family history increases the risk of stroke)—his paternal grandfather had several strokes—“but we assumed that he was a man of his generation,” he says. “He drank and smoked, was a World War II veteran, and had a hard life. The family assumed it was environmental and lifestyle choices.”

On January 11, 2023, Hudson noticed he had blurry vision, and after resting for 20 min, his right arm went limp. Luckily, his wife who is a nurse, called 911 immediately. He realizes now that the stroke absolutely could have been life-threatening “if I had ignored the initial warning signs, or my wife hadn’t quickly called 911 to get me to the hospital,” he says.

“Because we acted quickly, after only a couple of days there was almost no visible signs I had had a stroke,” he says. “My right hand felt weak, but the doctors or physical therapists could notice it on routine exams.”

Hudson concludes with these sage words: “I encourage everyone to go to their annual doctor’s appointment and pay attention to their bodies.”

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'I Almost Died of a Stroke At 43—I Wish I'd Flagged This Symptom' How a routine gym workout changed everything.

In recent years, more adults between the ages of 45 and 64 have been dying from strokes, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or there’s sudden bleeding in the brain. Unless treated quickly, it can lead to lasting brain damage, long-term disability or death.

After declining from 2002 to 2012, stroke death rates for middle-aged adults increased 7% between 2012 and 2019, and increased an additional 12% through 2021, the CDC found. The stroke death rate then fell slightly (by 2%) for men through 2022, and “did not change significantly” for women.

Reasons for this increase could be:

Reason #1: An increase in stroke risk factors — especially high blood pressure
Reason #2: Missing doctor appointments
Reason #3: Not recognizing stroke symptoms

Experts say it’s imperative that people of all ages recognize the telltale signs of stroke, which include:

sudden weakness or dizziness

sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body

sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech

sudden severe headache

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More middle-aged adults have been dying from strokes. Experts cite 3 factors that might be to blame. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more American adults between the ages of 45 and 64 have been dying from strokes.

Women are disproportionately affected by stroke in terms of severity, mortality, poorer recovery poststroke, and a decreased chance of receiving reperfusion treatment. Despite a lower overall incidence, women face an increase in stroke risk, particularly among those under 30 years and over 80 years of age. This article aims to elucidate the complexities of stroke care for women, outline strategies to overcome inequities, and advocate for urgent action to improve outcomes.

Women represent most stroke-related fatalities, with stroke contributing to a higher proportion of female deaths compared with male deaths. In the United States, the cumulative effect results in ≈55, 000 more fatal strokes occurring in women annually.

S*x and gender disparities in stroke care and outcomes are influenced by a complex interplay of sociocultural norms, policy limitations, and health care infrastructure. While women often demonstrate greater awareness of stroke symptoms and risk factors, they frequently encounter barriers to accessing timely and high-quality health care, particularly in low-income countries with limited health care resources. To achieve equitable stroke care, urgent action is required to bridge the gap in health care access, improve health care infrastructure, and dismantle policy and legal obstacles perpetuating gender-based differences in stroke outcomes.

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To read the entire article, visit:

acrobat.adobe.com

Sleep probems can increase someone’s risk of stroke. Sleep problems can include too little sleep (less than five hours), too much sleep (more than nine hours), poor quality, difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep, prolonged napping, and snoring and breathing cessation.

“When people have sleep-related disorders, such as sleep apnea, they’re getting less sleep or poor-quality sleep. And that leads to reduced oxygen and blood flow to the brain. And that can reduce or make changes over time to the brain that leads to increased risk of stroke or cognitive impairment from vascular disorders to the brain,” says Dr. English.

He says it’s important to recognize that sleep hygiene, along with diet and exercise, is a modifiable risk, and it’s never too late to make changes to reduce your risk.

“The better we are at taking care of the foundational things for our health go a long way to making sure our blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol — those are the risk factors. If we can modify those, we can really reduce our risk long term,” says Dr. English.

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Poor sleep can be linked to stroke - Baton Rouge Clinic This content is courtesy of Mayo Clinic, the No. 1 hospital in the world according to Newsweek. The Baton Rouge Clinic is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network....

Great video about stroke warning signs and what to look for. Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability. Stroke treatment is time sensitive, and the first few hours are key to preventing irreparable outcomes. Recognizing symptoms of a stroke early and getting to a hospital as soon as possible can reduce your chances of having life-long disability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym3oRpM5XAU

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SSM Health Medical Minute: Frequently ignored stroke symptoms Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability. Stroke treatment is time sensitive, and the first few hours are key to preventing irreparable outcomes.S...

Prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke will most likely increase in the United States through 2050 according to study findings published in Circulation.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke, the most common current causes of death in the US, affected 9.9% of adults aged over 20 years in 2020, and already is associated with diminished quality of life, significant morbidity, and high cost. By 2030, all baby boomers will be more than 65 years of age and by the mid-2030’s, Americans over 65 years of age will outnumber American children for the first time in history. Investigators, therefore, aimed to estimate the prevalence of CVD and stroke risk factors and behaviors and overt CVD and stroke among US residents of all ages from 2020 to 2050.

By 2050, the adult US population is estimated to reach 302,000,000. Hypertension will be most prevalent among individuals aged at least 80 years, although overall, the number of people with hypertension will be highest and rising in younger and middle-aged adults. Highest prevalence of diabetes and hypercholesterolemia will occur in those aged 65 to 79 years, and the highest prevalence and highest growth in obesity will occur in those aged 20 to 44 years and 45 to 64 years, respectively.

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CVD and Stroke Risk in United States Likely to Increase Through 2050 Through 2050 in the United States, prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and stroke will most likely increase.

Do you know where the nearest stroke center is? Getting to a certified stroke center can improve stroke outcomes! Search by zip code or city to find certified stroke centers anywhere in the U.S.

https://www.strokeinfo.org/stroke-center-search/

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Stroke Center Search Certified Stroke Center Search

Chris Wilder, a stroke survivor and SAF Board Member, shares his personal story, detailing his road to recovery and offering a candid account of his experience recovering in the hospital. His journey continues as he keeps fighting through mental and physical obstacles, navigating life after a stroke.

Listen to his story here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-stillness-stories-after-stroke/id1715005057?i=1000657889862

Listen to his interview here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-stillness-stories-after-stroke/id1715005057?i=1000657885441

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Researchers found repeated one-minute bursts of high-intensity interval training were more effective than traditional, moderate continuous exercise for improving the body’s aerobic fitness after a stroke.

Fitness level improvements doubled in participants in the high-intensity interval training group compared to those in the moderate intensity exercise group.

Researchers found the level of fitness changes in the high intensity interval training group were associated with improved survival and lower risk of stroke-related hospitalizations.

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Short, intense bursts of exercise more effective after stroke than steady, moderate exercise Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT/5 a.m. ET, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024 DALLAS, Aug. 8, 2024 — One-minute, short bursts of high-intensity interval training for 19 minutes may be more effective for improving fitness among people six months or more after a stroke...

Middle-age people in the United States are more likely to die from a stroke than they have been in about two decades, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

After at least a decade of decline, the death rate from stroke for people ages 45 to 64 started to rise in 2012. By 2019, the stroke death rate for this age group had grown 7% from where it was seven years earlier, and it spiked another 12% in the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stroke deaths for this age group dipped slightly in 2022 but were still significantly higher than before the pandemic. More than 19,700 people ages 45 to 64 died from a stroke in 2022, according to the new report – about 24 deaths for every 100,000 people in this age group.

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the US overall, and most strokes happen to people 65 and older. Earlier research has found that Covid-19 infection raises the risk of stroke for people of all ages.

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Rate of stroke deaths among middle-age US adults hit two-decade high during Covid pandemic, report shows | CNN Middle-age people in the United States are more likely to die from a stroke than they have been in about two decades, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Quickly identify stroke warning signs, locate the nearest certified stroke center, notify emergency contacts of your location and that you are having a stroke. Now is Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish, and English. Download the free Stroke Awareness Foundation app today!

Stroke Awareness Foundation Mobile App Free Emergency Stroke App. Identify Stroke Signs, locate Certified Stroke Centers, Simultaneously call 911 and text Emergency Contacts.

The Stroke Awareness Foundation (SAF) is urging Regional Medical Center to reconsider its recent decision to downgrade its stroke certification and trauma services, citing significant risks to the health and safety of the East San Jose community.

Learn more: https://conta.cc/46Dh9qd

Regional Medical Center Endangers Community by Downgrading Stroke and Trauma Services RMC is risking our community’s safety by downgrading stroke and trauma services. Join us in urging them to maintain their comprehensive stroke certification.   To Our Community, The Stroke Awarene

Puttering around the home or office isn’t enough to protect a person from stroke, a new study says.

People need to be more active to lower their stroke risk, either by exercising in their free time or biking or walking to work, results show.

“Physical activity during leisure time and as transportation is becoming increasingly important now that many jobs and domestic activities are becoming more sedentary,” lead author Dr. Adam Viktorisson, a researcher at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers analyzed health data for more than 3,600 people in Sweden who were tracked for about two decades.

Overall, high levels of physical activity in leisure time were tied to a 66% lower risk of dying from a stroke or suffering a debilitating stroke, researchers found.

Those who regularly engaged in moderate-intensity exercise had a 46% lower risk of stroke, researchers found. Examples include brisk walking, water aerobics, slow bicycling, ballroom dancing or playing doubles tennis.

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Doing Everyday Chores Isn't Enough to Protect You From Stroke WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Puttering around the home or office isn’t enough to protect a person from stroke, a new study says.People need to b

After a stroke, patients often need significant physical and emotional support from families, caregivers and friends. Though many patients recover completely, others won’t regain their abilities entirely and will need help and understanding as they adapt. Here are some ways you can support a stroke survivor:

1. Set Realistic Expectations: Patients and their loved ones and caregivers should understand what to expect during recovery, which is different for everyone.
2. Be Patient: Allow your loved one to take the time to express themselves. Learn to listen more and when to give clues to help. Be patient, and take breaks when someone is struggling.
3. Be Receptive: Loved ones should directly ask patients how to help and be receptive to their needs. Listen to what they share with you about their feelings and abilities, and respect their boundaries. Aim to find a balance—know when they want help and when you should allow them to try something on their own, even if it doesn’t seem efficient.
4. Seek Your Own Support: Go to a stroke survivor support group. Physicians can also involve social workers to identify resources available to patients and their families.

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https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/how-to-support-a-loved-one-after-a-stroke.html

Visit us at strokeinfo.org for life-saving Stroke Information in: English, Spanish-Español, Chinese-中文, Vietnamese-Quốc ngữ, Tagalog, Farsi-فارسی, Afghan, Portuguese-Português

https://www.strokeinfo.org

Stroke Awareness Foundation: Improving Stroke Outcomes The Stroke Awareness Foundation (SAF) has improved community awareness and better prepared families and loved ones for what can be the devastating effects of stroke. Your financial contribution helps us better prepare our communities, families and loved ones for what can be devastating effects of a....

A recent study examined how several lifestyle factors influenced late-life depression, dementia, and stroke risk. Results show healthier lifestyles were linked to lower incidences of late-life depression and also a reduced risk of combined outcomes including stroke, dementia, and late-life depression. Opting for a healthier lifestyle is better for brain health, which may contribute to improved long-term health outcomes.

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How healthy lifestyle choices influence depression, dementia risk A recent study examined how several lifestyle factors influenced late-life depression, dementia, and stroke risk, and found that healthier lifestyles were linked to lower incidences of these conditions later in life.

New research led by UCLA Health has found that specific genes may be related to the trajectory of recovery for stroke survivors, providing doctors insights useful for developing targeted therapies.

Published in the journal Stroke this month, the findings were part of an exploratory study that sought to find if candidate genes could predict a higher likelihood of stroke outcomes related to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive decline.

The study found significant associations between certain genes and these behavioral health outcomes. Specifically, the rs6265 gene variant was associated with poorer cognition. This gene variant is related to brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which is the most common growth factor in the brain and is strongly associated with learning. About 20-30% of people are estimated to have this genetic variant, which slows the release of BDNF.

Environmental factors, such as stressors, also played a role in genetic expression among stroke patients. Patients with the gene variants rs4291 and rs324420 were at higher risk for developing more severe depression and PTSD symptoms after one-year post-stroke.

"The more stress they reported, the more the gene variant was associated with poorer outcomes," Dr. Steven C. Cramer, MD, the study's lead author and a professor of neurology at UCLA, said.

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Stroke recovery: It's in the genes New research has found that specific genes may be related to the trajectory of recovery for stroke survivors, providing doctors insights useful for developing targeted therapies.

Learn the warning signs of stroke and share with your friends and family. Remember B.E.F.A.S.T. and call 911 right away:

B - Balance
Is the person suddenly having trouble with balance or coordination?

E - Eyes
Is the person experiencing suddenly blurred or double vision or a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes without pain?

F - Face Drooping
Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.

A- Arm Weakness
Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

S - Speech Difficulty
Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence like, “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

T - Time to call 911
If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 911 and get them to the hospital immediately

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Stroke Signs and Symptoms in English Quick action saves lives. Learn the signs of stroke. You could save a loved one’s life. Look for these signs: Drooping face? Weak arm or leg? Slurred speech? Loss of balance? Loss of vision?

Find the nearest stroke center near you. Getting to a certified stroke center can improve stroke outcomes. Search for all the US certified stroke centers on our website: https://www.strokeinfo.org/stroke-center-search/

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Stroke Center Search Certified Stroke Center Search

There's good news and bad for stroke survival in the United States: New research shows that Americans are now more likely to survive long-term, but that's more true for whites than for Black Americans.

At least for a sample of people living in the greater Cincinnati area, "we saw that there clearly has been an improvement in five-year mortality [death] after stroke, and it probably is at least partially driven by the stroke systems of care that have been set up here in Cincinnati," said study co-author Dr. David Robinson.

The data used in the study come from a five-county region around Cincinnati that Robinson says is a "microcosm" of the general population of Americans as a whole. Rates of stroke death and survival were tracked since 1993.

Among patients who suffered an ischemic stroke (caused by a clot and by far the most common type), the rate at which survivors died in the five years following their stroke fell from 53% in 1993-94 to 48.3% in 2015, the data showed.

The data was not so encouraging for people who suffered a less common form of stroke, known as an intracerebral hemorrhage: These patients saw no improvement in five-year survival.

“The data suggests that we have specific interventions in the care of stroke that are disproportionately improving mortality" for people with ischemic strokes but not hemorrhagic strokes, Robinson noted in a university news release.

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U.S. Stroke Survival Is Improving, But Race Still Plays Role US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.

A new study found that xylitol, a sweetener found in many low-sugar foods, is linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

The study is the first of its kind to examine the relationship between xylitol and heart health.

There are no clear guidelines on what constitutes a safe daily intake of xylitol, but experts said certain people may want to avoid or limit how much they’re consuming.

The study, published last month in the European Heart Journal, suggests people may want to avoid or limit their consumption of foods that contain xylitol, a sugar alcohol commonly added to low-calorie sweeteners or “diet” foods.

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Study: Common Sweetener Xylitol Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke Xylitol, a sugar substitute, is added to many low-calorie foods and beverages. But experts say people reaching for these "healthier" options may be unwittingly raising their risk of cardiovascular issues.

Gabby Lopes, a Bay Area resident was a healthy and active eighth-grader who’d played soccer since she was 6 and showed no signs of illness, had suffered a stroke in 2022— an occurrence so commonly associated with older adults that many people don’t know it can happen in children.

“There were no indicators, no symptoms,” she said. “There was no warning.”

Doctors later determined Gabby’s stroke was caused by a rare disease called focal cerebral arteriopathy of childhood, or FCA, in which one of the two internal carotid arteries in the brain suddenly becomes inflamed. The walls of the artery thicken and the blood vessel narrows, preventing blood from reaching the brain and causing an ischemic stroke.

FCA is rare, occurring in just two to five per 1 million children, based on estimates of pediatric stroke rates and FCA studies. It is rarely fatal but can result in permanent damage, including weakness or uncomfortable contractions on one side of the body, anxiety and depression.

“It’s a strange disease because it comes out of the blue,” said Dr. Heather Fullerton, a pediatric neurologist at UCSF who helped treat Gabby at the hospital. “Most people are not aware children can have a stroke. You would not know about this unless you were very unlucky.”

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‘There was no warning’: Rare disease that causes strokes in children shocked Bay Area teen A UCSF pediatric neurologist is leading a first-of-its kind clinical trial that could change the lives of children with a rare disease that causes strokes.

Patients living with physical changes from stroke, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy and other conditions may regain some function in their hands and arms — therefore improving their quality of life — thanks to advances in surgical options for upper motor neuron syndrome, says Peter C. Rhee, D.O., an orthopedic hand surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

Upper motor neuron syndrome refers to a dysfunction or deformity in the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand due to stroke, traumatic brain injury, anoxic or hypoxic brain injury, cerebral palsy, or spinal cord injury. People with this condition may have muscle weakness, decreased muscle control, altered muscle tone and spasticity.

Depending on the extent of the patient's disability, surgeons can perform a combination of joint fusions, tendon lengthenings, and tendon and nerve transfers. People with complete paralysis in their arms can still benefit from surgery by improving the position of their hands, wrist and elbows for hygiene or to enable basic functions that they have lost, Dr. Rhee says.

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Expert alert: Procedure offers hope to patients living with physical changes from stroke, other conditions - Mayo Clinic News Network Advances in surgical options for upper motor neuron syndrome offer hope to patients living with physical changes from stroke, other conditions