May - National Stroke Awareness Month

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. Strokes are also a leading cause of long-term disability. Although strokes can occur at any age, stroke risk increases with age. 3/4 of all strokes occur in people older than 65 years old. The majority of strokes are caused when blood clots in an artery of the brain. These blood clots can block adequate blood flow to the brain.

On May 11, 1989, President George H.W. Bush signed Proclamation 5975 declaring May as National Stroke Awareness Month. When he signed the proclamation, President Bush shared the following about the devastation that strokes can cause. "It strikes between 400,000 and 600,000 Americans each year. Many of its victims, their brain cells damaged by impaired circulation, never fully regain their physical and mental abilities. Stroke costs this country more than $11 billion annually in medical treatment and lost productivity, but far more regrettable is the immeasurable suffering it brings to victims and their families."

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

* In 2020, 1 in 6 deaths from cardiovascular disease was caused by a stroke.

* Every 40 seconds someone in the United States has a stroke; every 3.5 minutes someone dies from a stroke.

* Annually, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke.

* Stroke reduces mobility in more than 1/2 of stroke survivors over the age of 65.

Sources:

NATIONAL STROKE AWARENESS MONTH - May - National Day Calendar

Stroke Facts | cdc.gov 

STATUTE-103-Pg3034.pdf (govinfo.gov)

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