This cuts off the supply of nutrients and oxygen to that part of the brain, which creates a disastrous domino effect causing brain cells to begin to die. Every year, more than 750,000 Americans suffer a stroke.
Stroke is the nation's number one cause of adult disability and the third leading cause of death.
These statistics need not be so high. The risk of stroke can be reduced through a greater awareness of stroke warning signs and risk factors. Moreover, there are therapies now available to prevent stroke in many high-risk patients. And nearly two-thirds of those polled were unaware of the importance of treating stroke victims within the first few hours of an attack, preferably at an emergency department with specialized diagnostics. Recent public information campaigns sponsored by the American Heart Association and the National Stroke Association have initiated the process of increasing stroke awareness.