Every day we are faced with choices that affect our health. Fortunately, there are decisions we make that can decrease our risk factors or increase our chance of surviving serious conditions like stroke.

Knowing the risk factors and signs of a stroke could save your life or the life of someone you love. Unfortunately, most Americans do not know the signs of a stroke or that time is a crucial factor. Timely treatment can limit or even eliminate disabilities associated with a stroke if a person receives attention shortly after the onset of symptoms.

To help you remember, cut this out and post it on your refrigerator:

Signs of Stroke

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

Sudden, severe headaches can also indicate other potentially life threatening conditions such as aneurysms, so it’s important to listen to your body and seek medical advice.

As a state designated Comprehensive Stroke Center, which means it is able to provide the highest level of care, Capital Health’s Fuld hospital is just a step away and can provide specialized care for the most complex stroke cases.

Call 9-1-1 or get to the emergency room if you or someone else experiences one or more of these symptoms.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month. Learn the signs and symptoms and learn the things you can do to lower your risk factors. It can make all the difference.

Erol Veznedaroglu, MD, FACS Director of Neurosciences and Endovascular/Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center of New Jersey at Capital Health