HOW TO RECOGNIZE A STROKE

Despite the best efforts of doctors and health agencies, the number of people getting to the hospital within two hours of a stroke has fallen in the past few years, according to a recent study by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  Study author Mary George, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Stroke Association in February 2013, says that one of the biggest factors that delays stroke treatments is that people are using their own cars to get to the hospital rather than calling an ambulance.  If you see these signs in yourself or someone else, call 911 immediately:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially one side of the body.
• Confusion or trouble speaking or understanding.
• Disrupted vision in one or both eyes.
• Dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or trouble waking.
• Severe headache.
• The American Stroke Association recently revamped its efforts to get the work out with a mnemonic that spells out “FAST”:  Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911.

Scientific American Mind July/August 2013