Stroke: By the numbers

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Several facts and figures demonstrate the prevalence of stroke.

Often referred to as a “heart attack of the brain,” strokes are the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability in adults.

A very serious medical emergency, strokes occur when blood flow in the brain is interrupted — either through a blockage or burst vessel — depriving it of oxygen, rapidly killing brain cells.

Potentially life-threatening, the prevalence of stroke is on the rise in the United States.

795,000

Strokes every year in the United States

185,000

Strokes every year suffered by a patient who has previously had a stroke

150,005

Stroke-related deaths in the United States every year

1 in 19

Deaths attributed to stroke

87

Percentage of stroke that are ischemic (blockage) as opposed to hemorrhagic (burst blood vessel)

40 seconds

Amount of time between stroke occurrences in the United States

3 minutes and 30 seconds

Amount of time between stroke-related deaths in the United States

38

Percentage of hospitalized stroke patients under age 65

2x

Likelihood of African Americans experiencing a stroke

Remember to B.E. F.A.S.T.

Call 911 if you see the symptoms of a stroke in yourself or someone around you.

B

Balance – Watch for a sudden loss of balance

E

Eyes – Is there a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes? Or double vision?

F

Face – Smile and check to see if one side of the face droops

A

Arm – Raise both arms and see if one arm drifts downward

S

Speech – Repeat a simple sentence and check to see if words are slurred or the sentence is repeated incorrectly

T

Time – If a person shows any of these symptoms, it is important to get to the hospital as quickly as possible, so immediately call 911.