Fresno, Modesto

Every minute counts with a stroke

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel breaks or a blood clot lodges in an artery, blocking blood flow to the brain. Brain cells begin to die, and brain damage can result. According to the American Heart Association, more than 700,000 people in the United States have a stroke every year.

“Don’t wait for symptoms to improve or worsen before you seek help,” says Trilok Puniani, MD, chief of Neurology at our Fresno Medical Center. “Every minute you wait could mean more damage to the brain.”

Typical signs of stroke include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden confusion, or trouble speaking or understanding.
• Sudden trouble seeing from one or both eyes.
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

If you think you or someone else might be experiencing a stroke, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital. Following hospital tests and an examination by a neurologist, medications known as “clot-busters” may be administered. If given within three hours after symptoms appear, they can decrease damage and disability from certain types of strokes.

“High blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and certain heart rhythm problems can increase your risk for stroke,” says Blondell Gage, MD, chief of Neurology for Kaiser Permanente in the Central Valley (Manteca, Modesto, Stockton, and Tracy) “Check with your doctor to find out if you have any of these conditions and, if so, how to control them.”

Learn how you can help reduce your risk of stroke.

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