Stroke Awareness Month

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. Stroke can happen to anyone — any age, any time — and everyone needs to know the warning signs.

On average, 1.9 million brain cells die every minute that a stroke goes untreated. Stroke is an emergency.

Remember "F.A.S.T." to know when to call for help:

• F = Face drooping
• A = Arm weakness
• S = Speech difficulty
• T = Time to call 911

Men and women who have strokes often feel similar symptoms of stroke, such as face drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulty.

Other common signs for both women and men include problems seeing out of one or both eyes and balance or coordination problems.

Women can also experience:

• General weakness
• Disorientation and confusion or memory problems
• Fatigue, nausea or vomiting

However, some signs of stroke in women can be subtle enough to be missed or brushed off. That can lead to delays in getting time-sensitive, lifesaving treatments.

If you’re having a stroke, it’s critical that you get medical attention right away. Immediate treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

Thanks to recent advances, stroke treatments and survival rates have improved greatly over the last decade.

But in order to seek treatment, you must recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke and know what to do:

• Face drooping 
• Arm difficulty 
• Speech slurring 
• Time to call 911