National Stroke Awareness Month—May 2008

Signs of a Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke notes these major signs of stroke: • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms or legs • Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding others • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination • Sudden severe headache with no known cause If you think someone is having a stroke, you should call 911 immediately.

May is National Stroke Awareness month. Stroke is the third leading cause of death overall in the United States and a leading cause of disability. Stroke caused more than 150,000 deaths in 2004, and is estimated to cost more than 65.5 billion dollars in both direct and indirect costs in 2008.¹ Each year about 600,000 persons suffer a first stroke and about 180,000 suffer a recurrent stroke.

Risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol intake, increasing age, prior stroke or heart disease, diabetes, family history of stroke, and socioeconomic disadvantage. The risk of death and disability can be reduced if stroke victims receive prompt appropriate treatment.

CDC's Activities Related to Stroke

CDC’s State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program: CDC currently funds health departments in 33 states and the District of Columbia to develop effective strategies to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke and related risk factors. This program emphasizes the need for policy, environmental, and systems changes that promote heart-healthy and stroke-free living and working conditions. For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/state_program/index.htm.

Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry: In June 2004 CDC funded four state health departments (Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina) to establish statewide Stroke Registries with the mission of monitoring and improving the quality of acute stroke care in samples of acute care hospitals in their states. In 2007, CDC added additional registries in Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. The data collected will guide quality improvement interventions at the hospital level that will help close the gap between guidelines and practice through partnerships with hospital doctors and administrators.  http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/stroke_registry.htm.

Stroke Networks: Stroke networks allow state health departments and their partners to share and coordinate prevention activities and advocacy strategies on a regional basis. CDC supports the Tri-State Stroke Network in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the Delta State Stroke Consortium in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee, the Great Lakes Stroke Network in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, and the Northwest Regional Stroke Network in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Related Information

Please see the following additional resources:

• Prevalence of Stroke—United States, 2005
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, May 18, 2006
• Place of Death After Stroke—United States, 1999–2002
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, May 19, 2006
• Disparities in Deaths from Stroke Among Persons Aged <75 Years—United States, 2002  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, May 20, 2005
• Regional and Racial Differences in Prevalence of Stroke—23 States and District of Columbia, 2003  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, May 20, 2005
• Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Multiple Risk Factors for Heart Disease and Stroke—United States, 2003  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, February 11, 2005
• Differences in Disability Among Black and White Stroke Survivors—United States, 2000–2001  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, January 14, 2005
• Awareness of Stroke Warning Signs — 17 States and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 2001  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review, May 6, 2004.
• Stroke Fact Sheet
• Know the Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
• Atlas of Stroke Hospitalization Rates Among Medicare Beneficiaries
• Atlas of Stroke Mortality
• Interactive Maps on Heart Disease and Stroke
• State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs Address Stroke
• A Public Health Action Plan to Prevention Heart Disease and Stroke

Visit the Web Sites of CDC's Partners for More Information Regarding Stroke

• American Heart Association*
• American Stroke Association*
• Brain Attack Coalition*
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• National Stroke Association*

 
*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.
 

Page last reviewed: May 7, 2008
Page last modified: May 7, 2008

Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion