Israel Stroke Society warns against ignoring stroke symptoms as hospital visits fall during war

Citing the significant decrease in hospital arrivals for acute stroke cases since the start of the war with Iran on Saturday, Prof. Ronen Leker, director of the Stroke Center at Hadassah Medical Center, Israel Stroke Society, calls on the public not to wait “as soon as the first worrying signs of a stroke appear.”

Among the signs of a stroke are sudden weakness on one side of the body, speech disturbance and/or a drooping corner of the mouth, blurred vision or sudden loss of vision (usually in one eye), severe dizziness accompanied by loss of balance, and sudden confusion accompanied by difficulty understanding language.

“The window for administering intravenous medication to open the blocked artery is up to 4.5 hours from the onset of symptoms,” Leker says. “From the moment symptoms appear, it is mandatory to arrive quickly and urgently at the hospital.”

The society reminds the public that the chance of a stroke can be reduced by at least fifty percent through preventive treatment of the main risk factors, which include high blood pressure, diabetes, high blood lipids and high cholesterol, smoking, excess weight and a lack of physical activity.