Talking strokes with University of Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (5/12/2026) —Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While strokes can occur at any age, stroke risk increases with age. Early action is critical for optimal outcomes.
For Stroke Awareness Month in May, Haitham Hussein, MD, with the University of Minnesota Medical School and M Health Fairview talks about stroke symptoms, risk factors and ways to prevent it.
Q: What are the symptoms of a stroke?
Dr. Hussein: Stroke symptoms usually happen suddenly. The most common symptoms include weakness or numbness on one side of the body (arm, leg or face droop), trouble walking or losing balance, speech difficulties (slurring, confusion or inability to express/understand words) and vision changes (painless blindness in one eye, peripheral vision loss or double vision). Severe headache and a decreased level of consciousness can also be signs of a less common, but severe, type of stroke.
Anyone who suspects that they are experiencing stroke warning signs must call 911 immediately. You do not have to be sure that you are having a stroke – suspicion is a good enough reason to call 911.
Q: What is the difference between a stroke and a heart attack?
Dr. Hussein: Stroke is a brain condition characterized by neurological symptoms that result from brain dysfunction. There are two types of strokes:
- Ischemic stroke: Caused by a blockage of one of the arteries.
- Hemorrhagic stroke: Caused by a rupture of one of the arteries of the brain, causing bleeding within or around the brain.
To differentiate between types of stroke, brain imaging — either a CT scan or an MRI — is essential. Patients with stroke symptoms should avoid taking aspirin prior to arriving at the hospital and confirming the absence of a hemorrhagic stroke.
A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is blocked, causing a severe reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle, which then begins to die. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or a feeling of heaviness, shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting, cold sweats and nausea.
Q: What are the risk factors? Is there anything I can do to prevent a stroke?
Dr. Hussein: Risk factors of stroke include chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol and stress, unhealthy lifestyle such as unhealthy diet, smoking and lack of exercise, and social conditions such as belonging to racial minorities, poverty, lack of health insurance, food insecurity and living in areas with air/water pollution.
There’s a lot you can do to prevent stroke. The American Heart Association highlights eight key measures to maintain good health and prevent heart disease and stroke: a healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep, avoiding smoking, managing body weight and maintaining good blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol. Every one of us must have a primary care provider from birth to old age. Primary care providers are the champions of stroke prevention. We also now know that good dental care is protective from stroke, so I encourage everyone to have a primary dentist/dental hygienist, brush their teeth and floss twice a day.
Q: How are strokes treated?
Dr. Hussein: Stroke treatment depends on the type of stroke. Ischemic stroke is treated with clot busters and mechanical thrombectomy. Clot busters are IV medications that go in the bloodstream and dissolve blood clots that block arteries. Mechanical thrombectomy is a minimally invasive procedure to open blocked large arteries with thin wires and catheters under X-ray.
Hemorrhagic stroke is treated by tightly controlling the blood pressure and, in some cases, brain surgery to remove the blood, lower the brain pressure or close the source of bleeding, such as a brain aneurysm. All these treatments are time dependent. The faster a stroke patient comes to the hospital, the more likely they would qualify for and benefit from the treatment. Time is brain!
Q: How does your work improve health in Minnesota?
Dr. Hussein: We at the University of Minnesota Stroke Program have three missions: patient care, education and research. Our telestroke network allows us to provide the same high quality care to stroke patients whether they are admitted to one of our rural or urban hospitals. This is very important because studies have shown that nationwide, stroke outcomes in rural settings are worse than in urban settings. We train the future generation of doctors, neurologists and stroke specialists in our neurology department and stroke service, contribute to medical education programs for doctors in rural Minnesota, and engage in community education through various channels. As a major stroke research center, we are involved in many ongoing clinical trials. This keeps us at the forefront of stroke care advancements and provides our patients with the opportunity to participate in studies that are shaping the future of treatment
Dr. Haitham Hussein is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a neurologist with M Health Fairview. His clinical interests include stroke prevention, quality of care and health disparities.
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