Stroke is the number one cause of adult disability. Three million Americans are currently permanently disabled because of stroke. The brain cells destroyed with the initial injury of stroke set off a chain reaction that also kills cells in the larger surrounding area. When brain cells die, function of the body parts they control is impaired or lost, causing paralysis, speech problems, memory and reasoning deficits, coma, and possibly death. Approximately two-thirds of all strokes occur in people age 65 and over.
Strokes occur in men more than women, but women die more often as a result of stroke.
In fact, stroke is the second leading cause of death in American women ages 45-64, killing more females than breast cancer. Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body. Sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in one eye. Sudden difficulty speaking or trouble understanding speech. Sudden severe headache with no known cause.