Stroke Awareness Month

Hattiesburg, Miss. - It’s Cinco de Mayo but many people don’t know that it’s also American Stroke Awareness Month.

Scott Scrimpshire, Merit Health Wesley Stroke Center coordinator said, “Stroke is actually the fifth leading cause of death in the state of Mississippi. And according to the American Stroke Association, someone in the United States has a stroke about every 40 seconds. About 87 percent of strokes are caused by a clot. The main things we want to do is to reduce our risk factors, we want to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke and then respond to the stroke as quickly as possible. The faster we can treat a stroke, the better the person has of a full recovery.”

Scrimpshire said people who are 65 and older have a high chance of stoke and if you are near that age and have high blood pressure, you should see a physician.