Strokes affect 700,000 people every year and are the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the United States.

Pauline Howell is a busy businesswoman but she makes time almost every day to walk so she can stay fit in hopes that history won't repeat itself. "Family history on my mother's side is lot's of strokes, all of Uncles and Aunts died of a stroke and my mother's in a nursing home today because of a stroke."

Cardiologist Dr. Brian Arcement explains that a stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain bursts or is blocked by a blood clot. Vascular problems in other areas of your body may indicate a need to check blood flow in the neck and head. "Any patient that has never had their carotids looked at that has disease in any of their arterial distribution, their legs, kidneys, heart, should also have their neck arteries looked at as a screening process to determine if they are significant."

Dr. Arcement says that a patient with arterial blockages in the neck of 70% or more will most likely be sent for evaluation by a vascular surgeon who will determine if the patient will need to have an endoterectomy done. "And that's where the surgeon goes in, opens the artery up, cleans out the artery, and then puts a patch over it basically getting rid of all the plaque within the vessel. And this can tremendously reduce the chance of this patient having a stroke in the future."

Symptoms that indicate a stroke are numbness, vision problems, confusion, dizziness and severe headache. Pauline doesn't want to experience any of those and doctors want people at high risk for stroke to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. "That's why I walk with my neighbor every morning rain or shine we go for our walk. I hope that walking will help me maintain good health."

If you are having stroke symptoms, the sooner you get treatment the better your chances will be for minimal damage to your brain cells.

Because most strokes do not cause severe pain, patients often delay seeking treatment, resulting in extensive brain tissue damage. It's important to realize that a stroke is a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention.