Oct. 29 is World Stroke Day, an important opportunity to raise awareness about prevention and care for a condition that affects many people in Louisiana.

Stroke is the third-leading cause of death and permanent disability in our state. High blood pressure, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes are leading causes and are all-to-often associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel becomes blocked or ruptures. Smokers and those with unmanaged high blood pressure are especially vulnerable. In Louisiana, people as young as their 30s and 40s suffer more strokes than the national average.

Contact your primary care provider for help managing and reducing your risk factors. Do you know your own stroke risk? This brief stroke risk assessment will show you.

Prompt medical attention is crucial to surviving and minimizing the effects of a stroke. Could you tell if someone is having a stroke? Common symptoms include loss of balance, blurred vision, facial drooping, arm weakness or numbness and slurred or garbled speech, call 911 immediately.

Click here to learn how to know what to do and BE FAST if someone is having a stroke.

Our Lady of the Lake is a nationally recognized center of excellence in stroke care, with 24-7 stroke care available at the Heart & Vascular Institute. There’s also a 20-bed neurological intensive care unit. Through a collaboration with NeuroMedical Center, the specialized ICU shaves precious minutes—in some cases, hours—off the time it takes to triage, diagnose and treat a stroke.

If you have stroke-related or any other health concerns, schedule a visit with your primary care provider using the MyChart app.