Stroke: What to know to lower the risk and save lives 

CHRISTIAN AGBEDE | UNSPLASH

Black Americans have a 50% higher likelihood of stroke any other ethnic group according to stroke.org. They also suffer higher mortality rates and more likely to suffer on under age 65.

Stroke is the leading cause of death and long-term disability in the United States despite approximately 80% being preventable.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and it is important for people to understand the warning signs for stroke, a sudden debilitating attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in blood flow to the brain. It’s also important to lower the risk of having one.

“What I kind of stick with is called BE FAST a mnemonic [learning tool],” said Novant Health neurologist Dr. Hunter Hewitt. … “B is for balanced. Suddenly you are off balance and unable to walk on your own. E is for eyes. All the sudden your eyes stick to one side; you are seeing double or lost part of your vision. F is for face. Your face starts drooping on one side or the other. A is for arms. If you hold your arms up one side is weaker than the other. S is speech. You start to have trouble talking or your words are slurred. T is time, because the faster you get seen, the more likely we can do something to save some of the brain [cells].”

Stroke affects the Black community disproportionately.  According to stroke.org, Black Americans have a 50% higher likelihood of having a stroke compared to other racial groups. They also suffer from higher mortality rates and are more likely to have one under age 65.

“When you have some of those vascular risk factors, your risk of having a stroke goes up,” Hewitt said. “If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, if you smoke, have high cholesterol, all of that puts you at higher risk. When you talk about the Black community, they are more likely to have some of these risk factors. Why? It can be a very complex picture. Some of it might be genetic and some of it might be due to socioeconomic or demographic factors. So, that is a very mixed picture.”

Studies have also indicated that more young people who are 30 and younger suffer strokes at a higher rate. 

“A big part as to why is we are seeing these younger individuals get some of these chronic illnesses like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and so the risk goes up,” Hewitt said. “It used to be that if you were a young person, unless you had an uncommon blood clotting disorder, a young person wouldn’t get strokes. But now it is common to see 20-year-olds and 30-year-olds who get it because they smoke, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and it is a perfect storm.” 

What do you do in the moment during a stroke?

Immediately call 911.

“Not just because it gets you there safely,” Hewitt said, “but it also gets you seen faster, because that helps you get put at the front of the line. That way, I get called down and we’re working on it as fast as we can. Thankfully nowadays we have new medication, these clot-busters. If you come in within four and a half hours of symptoms starting, so there is a time limit, that is why it is so important, but we can potentially dissolve the clot and help you get back to normal, or at least as close as we can.”

There are plenty of ways to lower stroke risk. Hewitt says it starts with diet, exercise and regular doctor visits. 

“When we talk about diet, the goal is what we call a Mediterranean diet,” he said. “That doesn't mean it has to be Mediterranean food, it just means where it's high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. If you’re going to have meat, fish is the best. Chicken is OK. Try to avoid red meat no more than once or twice a week… Then with exercise, we want to exercise for an hour at least three times a week. Something that makes you break a sweat and gets your heart pumping. … 

“Seeing your doctor is very important. A lot of times, someone comes in that has had a stroke and turns out they also have diabetes or high blood pressure. If we catch these things early, it will really reduce the risk.”

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