Stroke Awareness Month

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Learn how to manage your risk of a stroke with these resources.

Our nationally-recognized stroke team at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center provides rapid, high-level diagnosis and care at any hour. As a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, we’re certified by national leaders for meeting advanced standards of stroke care. The center is part of the Providence Spokane Neuroscience Institute, a comprehensive, integrated neuroscience program that treats conditions of the brain and spine. Learn more about our stroke program.

Regular checkups, exercise, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle – including knowing and managing risk factors – can help prevent or limit the damage of a stroke. To prevent or limit the damage of stroke, call 911 if you see symptoms of stroke.

Symptoms of stroke start suddenly and include:

• Confusion or difficulty understanding others
• Difficulty speaking
• Dizziness
• Severe headache
• Trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
• Vision problems in one or both eyes
• Weakness or numbness in your face, arm or leg, often on just one side

Risk factors for stroke include:

• Hypertension
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Diet
• Physical inactivity
• Obesity
• High cholesterol
• Carotid Artery Disease
• Heart disease
• Peripheral artery disease
• Sickle Cell anemia 
• Prior stroke or TIA

Learn more about stroke risk factors by visiting stroke.org. 

Stroke is a symptom of vascular or blood vessel disease. Most strokes are due to a build-up of plaque in your blood vessels. To reduce plaque build-up:

• Exercise
• If you are diabetic, control blood glucose levels
• If you smoke, quit
• Manage cholesterol levels
• Manage weight
• Monitor blood pressure regularly and treat high blood pressure