Doesn't take a medical degree to save a life - know stroke signs

We've got a long way to go to prevent strokes, to find ways to maximize immediate stroke treatment, and to decrease the rate of disability for stroke survivors. Strokes kill too many people and disable too many people.

I, personally, don't have a hospital or a lab. You probably don't either. But we can make more people aware of early warning signs of stroke:

"Today, thanks to early detection, aggressive treatment and new intervention therapies, more stroke patients than ever are returning to normal life with limited to no disability," said Dr. Stanley Tuhrim, director of the Stroke Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

"Despite these accomplishments, it is clear that there is still much more work to be done to reduce the burden of stroke in our community. The challenge remains to educate as many people as possible about stroke's earliest warning signs and symptoms, so patients can get the immediate treatment they need," he said in a hospital news release.

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year, according to the stroke experts at Mount Sinai.

Even those of us who aren't part of the health care industry can help, just by knowing stroke signs and taking action. So share with others, please. The life saved might be yours.