Spotting stroke:
three warning
signs to watch
Did you know?
The American Heart Association/
American Stroke Association recently
recognized Glen Cove Hospital with
a Get With the Guidelines – Stroke
Gold Plus Quality Achievement
Award. Glen Cove Hospital received
the honor because it exceeds
national stroke measures designed
to help you get and stay healthy.
The hospital provides quick access
to lifesaving stroke care, ongoing
stroke education, counseling to quit
smoking, and high-blood-pressure
and cholesterol management.
Every second counts during a stroke. Find out when
to seek care, so you don't waste a single moment.
A stroke prevents blood from
reaching parts of your brain. The
longer your brain lacks a fresh blood
supply — and the oxygen it carries
— the greater your risk of long-
term damage, according to the US
National Library of Medicine.
Stroke usually causes three telltale
symptoms. The American Heart
Association/American Stroke
Association (AHA/ASA) created
the acronym FAST to help people
remember these symptoms and to
quickly call 911. FAST stands for face,
arms, speech and time.
"Stroke may cause one side of the
face to droop and one arm to feel
weak or drift downward," said
Lawrence Robinson, MD, chair of
neurology at Glen Cove Hospital.
"You may also slur your speech or
develop aphasia, meaning you know
what words you want to say but can't
get them out."
Some people also experience severe
dizziness, nausea, vomiting, double
Face Arm Speech Time
F A S T
What's your
stroke risk?
Find out by taking
a free stroke risk
assessment at
bit.ly/risk4stroke .
northwell.edu
4
Emergency care
vision, or what Dr. Robinson calls
a "thunderclap" headache — an
extremely painful headache that
comes out of the blue.
If you notice stroke symptoms,
call 911. When taking possible
stroke patients to the
hospital, EMS technicians alert
the Glen Cove Hospital team that
someone with stroke symptoms
is on the way so lifesaving care
begins immediately.
Strike out stroke
Watching for stroke symptoms is
only part of protecting yourself. You
also need to know if your stroke
risk is elevated and take steps to
lower it.
The top four stroke risk factors,
according to Dr. Robinson, are
diabetes, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol levels and smoking.
Other risk factors include your age
— your stroke likelihood nearly
doubles every 10 years once you
turn 55, according to the AHA/
ASA — as well as a family history
of stroke and other forms of heart
disease. For example, people with
the heart rhythm disorder atrial
fibrillation may have irregular or
abnormally fast heartbeats that
lead to stroke-causing blood clots.
To lower your stroke risk, eat a
healthy diet, quit smoking and
closely follow your physician's
directions for managing illnesses
linked to stroke.
