Strokes Affect Thousands of Hispanics Each Year - Learn To Recognize Symptoms

For Immediate Release
November 16, 2005

Contact: Brandon Alvarez Montgomery
301-565-0770 Ext. 247

More than 700,000 strokes occur in the U.S. every year. For older Hispanic Americans, stroke is the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Strokes also cause more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease.

Most often, a stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked by a clot. Brain cells are damaged or begin to die because they don’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need. The brain then stops sending signals to other parts of the body that control things like speaking, thinking, and walking.

Learning more about stroke can help you act in time to save a family member or friend. New treatments greatly reduce the damage caused by a stroke, but you need to act quickly. Knowing the symptoms of a stroke, calling 911 immediately, and getting to a hospital are critical. And making lifestyle changes can help prevent a stroke. For example, it is important to stop smoking, eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and work to control high blood pressure and manage diabetes.

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) is offering a free fact sheet in Spanish with information on recognizing the warning signs of stroke, lowering risk factors, and finding resources for patients and their families. To order a free copy of Accidente Cerebrovascular, call 1-800-222-2225 weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. A Spanish-speaking information specialist is available to respond to calls. You also can order this and other Spanish publications on healthy aging on the NIA website at www.niapublications.org.

The NIA, part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leads the Federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the special needs of older people. The Institute is committed to making health information available to older Hispanic Americans and their families.