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HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Tom Castañeda with South Texas Health System talks about World Stroke Day on Oct. 29 and South Texas Health System's part in stroke education.
"Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States experiences a stroke, and every four minutes someone dies of a stroke, making stroke a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.," said Castañeda.
STHS's goal is to raise awareness of stroke in the community. The risk of stroke significantly increases with age. After age 65, it significantly increases, with the average stroke age being around 70.
"When it comes to a stroke, it's really important to be fast," said Castañeda. That means B is you're checking for your Balance for any loss of balance, dizziness. E is for Eyes, so if you start getting blurred vision, double vision, that's a sign that you're having a stroke. F is for Face, which means you may see an even smile, a facial droop that you may see on one side of the face. A is for Arm or leg weakness, so it could be your arm or your leg, so you may experience some weakness there. S is for Speech, so that means you're having some difficulty speaking, maybe some slurred speech, and T is for Time, which means it's time to call 911."
When it comes to stroke treatment, time matters, minutes matter. Every minute that a stroke goes untreated, you lose 1.9 million neurons, or brain cells, according to the CDC.
The Counter-Stroke: Combatting the Threat of Stroke Conference to learn more about stroke and how to lower your risk, including:
- Educational seminars led by health professionals
- Healthy exercise & cooking demonstrations
- No-cost health screenings
- Information & resource fair
The Counter-Stroke: Combatting the Threat of Stroke Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the South Texas College Nursing & Allied Health Campus Building B at 1901 S. McColl Rd. in McAllen.
For more information, call (956) 821-9569.
English (US)