Every second counts when someone is having a stroke.

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States—about 600,000 people have a stroke each year. It is vital that someone having a stroke get to a hospital fast.

Know the Symptoms
For details on how to recognize a stroke, click here. Also, discuss stroke prevention with your physician.

Life-Saving Treatment
Many strokes can be treated with a drug called a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that people who received tPA within three hours of a stroke were at least 30 percent more likely to recover than those who didn’t get the treatment.

Not the Same Symptoms for Women
Women having a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a ministroke, were roughly 40 percent more likely than men to report nontraditional symptoms. Disorientation, confusion, or loss of consciousness were more common in women. These types of altered mental status were reported by 23 percent of women but only 15 percent of men. Other nontraditional symptoms included pain or headache.