It’s American Stroke Month

May is American Stroke Month as designated by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. As I talk about in this video, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and every 40 seconds someone in the United States suffers from a stroke.

The key thing to recognize is that symptoms are sudden — whether it’s weakness on one side of the body, difficulty with talking, difficulty with walking, or other neurological changes. One of the important things to remember is that even subtle weakness or difficulty with speech can be an early sign.

The symptom doesn’t necessarily need to be severe. I’ve had a lot of patients who had very mild symptoms, thought the symptom was going to go away, only to have a major stroke a few hours later. So if you, a loved one, a friend, an acquaintance, or even a total stranger, start to have these type of symptoms, get medical attention right away — don’t wait.

Check out more information on the American Stroke Association’s website.

If you found this interview helpful, I encourage you to check out other interviews I’ve had on local TV news on health topics over at MikeSevilla.TV — click on the “My TV Interviews” link.