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Weld Health Department reminds residents to know signs, prevention tips for strokes

Greeley Tribune - 5/16/2021

May 15—The Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment encourages residents to learn the signs of a stroke and take steps to prevent the medical emergency from happening in the first place.

May is National Stroke Awareness Month, which highlights the importance of knowing the signs of a stroke. The acronym FAST — Face drooping; Arm weakness; Speech difficulty; Time to call 911 — is used to identify if someone could be having a stroke.

Strokes are the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and one of the top causes of severe disability. One person dies from a stroke about every four minutes.

These are preventable and typically treatable through healthy eating, regular exercise, avoiding smoking and properly managing other health conditions.

Weld County's rate of stroke decreased in the last five years. The 2016 rate of 32.5 deaths per 100,000 residents dropped to about 27.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2020.

Women should be particularly cognizant of the risk, the health department stated, since 57% of people who die from a stroke are women and they often have worse outcomes after experiencing one.

Other information about stroke prevention can be found at www.weldhealth.org or at www.cdc.gov/stroke/.

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