May is National Stroke Awareness Month
May is National Stroke Awareness Month.
Dr. Lee Voulters, a neurologist who has worked at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport for 16 years, says there are two types of strokes.
Ischemic stroke is when there’s a blockage of blood vessels that causes a decrease of oxygen to the brain. Eighty-five percent of patients end up with an ischemic stroke.
The other major stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke where there is blood on the brain.
The number one cause of these types of strokes is high blood pressure.
Ways to prevent stroke mainly has to do with living a healthy lifestyle and monitoring your blood pressure, but the signs of having a stroke can vary. Dr. Voulters said, “There is a great acronym called ‘BE-FAST’ which helps people. B stands for balance, E is for eyes, so loss of vision, then F is for face, so facial weakness, A is arm, then S is speech, T is time, which is very important. As soon as you or someone has a stroke, call 911 immediately.”
Depending on the degree of the stroke, the road to recovery could take six months or longer.
