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Every year, more than 600,000 people in the U.S. have a first stroke. Many of these strokes could have been prevented.
"Strokes are common in the U.S., but it doesn't have to be this way," said Mai Nguyen-Huynh, MD, a neurologist and research scientist who leads Kaiser Permanente's stroke care program in Northern California. "To prevent a stroke, it's important to adopt a healthy lifestyle.”
Dr. Nguyen-Huynh worked with the American Stroke Association to develop guidelines to help prevent strokes.
Here, she provides answers to questions about strokes, how to prevent them, and what to do if you or someone else shows signs of stroke.
What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or bursts. Blood carries oxygen. If the brain can't get enough oxygen, it stops working properly.
Strokes cause about 160,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, making them a leading cause of death. They're also a leading cause of disability.
How can people prevent a stroke?
The most common causes of stroke are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle. To prevent a stroke, it's important to practice healthy habits. This means you should:
- Eat healthy
- Exercise
- Not smoke
- Get enough sleep
It's also important that you get regular health screenings and work with your doctor to:
- Manage your weight
- Keep your cholesterol at a healthy level
- Keep your blood pressure within a healthy range
- Manage your blood sugar levels
Learn more about how to prevent a stroke, and steps you can take for lifelong health.
What are some common stroke signs?
BE FAST is a simple way to remember the main warning signs of a stroke:
- Balance: Loss of balance or trouble walking
- Eyes: Trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
- Face: Sudden uneven appearance of the face or facial droop
- Arms: Weakness, numbness, or sudden trouble moving or feeling arms or legs
- Speech: Trouble speaking
- Time to call 911: If you or a loved one experiences the symptoms above, call 911.*
You may experience other symptoms, including confusion and severe headache.
What should you do if someone is having a stroke?
When a stroke happens, you need prompt medical care. Minutes matter.
At Kaiser Permanente, many of our patients get fast stroke care thanks to our award-winning telestroke program. Here's how it works:
- When a patient with stroke symptoms arrives at the hospital, that person's care team notifies a remote stroke specialist.
- The specialist assesses the patient via video.
- If a blood clot is causing the stroke, the stroke specialist can order a medication called a thrombolytic. The clot-busting drug is given intravenously.
The faster a person gets the drug, the better their chance of surviving with fewer long-term disabilities.
Experts recommend that patients get the thrombolytic within 60 minutes of arriving at the emergency room. At Kaiser Permanente, patients regularly get it much faster.
"I'm proud to say that because of our telestroke program, we get the drug to patients in fewer than 26 minutes on average," said Dr. Nguyen-Huynh, who helped create the telestroke program. Learn more about our telestroke program and how it helped save the life of a man who thought he just had tennis elbow.