FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 8, 2001 | |
Contact:
Margo Warren, 301-496-5751 |
Increased Awareness of Stroke Symptoms Could Dramatically Reduce Stroke Disability
New NIH Public Education Campaign Says Bystanders Can Play Key Role
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
- Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
The Know Stroke: Know the Signs. Act in Time campaign is being launched in May as part of National Stroke Awareness Month and includes community education materials including a video, brochures, and posters. NINDS is distributing the materials to hospitals, assisted living facilities, senior communities and other settings so that local communities can host stroke educational events. The campaign messages will be seen on billboards, bus shelters, and airport dioramas across the country, and will be aired in radio public service announcements. The materials graphically depict the symptoms of stroke as highway signs, an effort to call special attention to their unique, sudden nature.
The NINDS, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is the nation's leading supporter of research on the brain and nervous system. The NINDS is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.
This release will be posted on EurekAlert! at http://www.eurekalert.org and on the NINDS website at http://ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/index.htm.