Stroke A smile as the all-clear

Stroke: A smile as the all-clear

09/05/2014

Every nine minutes a person dies of a stroke in Germany. In total, approximately 270,000 strokes occur annually in Germany. The so-called cerebral infarction is considered in this country as the main cause of life-long disabilities and the third leading cause of death.

The cause of the stroke is an acute brain disorder. In 80 percent of cases, a blood vessel leading to the brain is blocked. For the other 20 percent, the cause is bleeding, caused by a blood vessel rupture. In all cases, quick help is vital to keep the brain shortage as short as possible.

That is why it is so important that lay people can identify a stroke as soon as possible. Everyone should recognize the following symptoms as an emergency situation:

- Numbness and paralysis (e.g., drooping corners of the mouth)
- blurred vision
- Voice / difficulties in understanding
- Headaches / dizziness

A quick way to check for a stroke is to make the person smile. If she can not do this or does it for example with only one face half, immediate action is necessary. Another possibility is to let the person concerned repeat a simple sentence. If he succeeds with difficulty and with a blurred pronunciation, a stroke is most likely present. If an affected person shows any of the symptoms described, a hurry is necessary. The emergency call number 112 should be notified immediately.

The Day Against Stroke was launched in 1999 by the Stroke Assistance Foundation. Since then, the Day of Action takes place every year on May 10, to draw attention to this important issue. This is the motto of this year's action day: „Every stroke is an emergency!“. (Ag)