Doctors in El Paso raise awareness about strokes this month
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- Doctors in El Paso are raising awareness about strokes this month. Strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States - while they can't always be prevented, experts emphasize the importance of recognizing symptoms to slow their progression.
Manny Munoz, clinical stroke coordinator at the Hospitals of Providence says at their hospital they see approximately 300 stroke cases a year. He describes a stroke as a "brain attack.” The most common type is caused by a clot leading to a disruption of blood flow and oxygen in the brain, and the other type resulting from a hemorrhage, a vessel rupture.
Munoz also explains the difference between non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors. Non-modifiable factors include age, gender, and race, “Our African-American group is more susceptible to stroke than other races. Women have additional risk factors compared to men, you have hormone replacement therapy, pregnancy,” Munoz told ABC7.
Modifiable factors include high blood pressure and diabetes, which he says can be controlled: “These are things that we need to manage and that happens by going to seek a primary care physician. Very important that you have your follow ups," Munoz emphasizes.
Recognizing symptoms and seeking medical attention fast is in the frontline. The symptoms to watch for can be remembered by the “BE FAST" acronym provided by the American Heart Association:
- B for balance issues
- E for eyesight issues
- F for face drooping
- A for arm weakness
- S for speech difficulty
- T for time to call 911
“We have teams ready to respond to a stroke. Our first responders are key because they know how to identify these symptoms. They can connect with our facility. We can have a team ready when a patient coming in to our facility suspected of having a stroke, we can go jumping right into action” says Munoz.
To learn more about strokes you can click here.
