A stroke can happen in an instant. Our genetic makeup plays a big role in our stroke risk. Christopher Topel, a University Hospital neurologist and assistant professor at UT Health San Antonio said, "Things that put us at more risk for high blood pressure, how we process cholesterol, how we process sugar."
You can lessen or even eliminate those risk factors through lifestyle modifications. Dr. Topel told us, "Adopting these new changes and lifestyle habits, whether its that exercise program, you're changing your diet, managing your risk factors for a stroke."
But to have the upper hand over a stroke when it happens, you need to listen your body. "It's not uncommon for a stroke to progress. It may start with subtle symptoms but then overtime it will reveal itself more definitively," Dr. Topel said.
When it comes to knowing the signs of a stroke, remember this acronym: F-A-S-T. The letter "F" stands for face, where there could be a facial droop on one side.
"A" is all about the arm, where you look for arm drift or weakness in the arm. It is possible the patient can't move it at all.
The letter "S" is for speech. "Whether that's hard getting words out or understanding speech, or if the speech probably has changed or is hard to understand," Dr. Topel said.
The letter "T" is for Time. Once you recognize a stroke, call 911 and get to the ER as soon as possible. "We don't have a lot of time to treat strokes unlike other illnesses. We have a very short window of a few hours for treatment," said Dr. Topel.
By knowing the risk factors and recognizing the signs, you can better avoid the impacts of life-threatening strokes.