Suspicion of stroke: at the first symptoms, call 15
Faced with any symptom of sudden neurological deficit, such as loss of strength or numbness in the face or a limb, or speech difficulties, the first reflex should be to call 15, the number of the SAMU. The goal is the rapid transfer of the patient to a hospital or, at best, straight away to a neurovascular unit. This emergency treatment allows the confirmation of the stroke thanks to imaging (MRI if possible if not scanner) and the realization of thrombolysis in the event of a confirmed cerebral infarction and in the absence of contraindication.
Stroke: 130,000 cases per year
In France, among the 130,000 cases, 75% of survivors have disabling sequelae (paralysis, etc.). In Western countries, stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (30% of dementias are wholly or partly due to stroke) and the third leading cause of mortality. A quarter of the population with stroke is under 65 years old.
Source: HAS / Haute Autorité de la Santé
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