Newswise — Last month, Salvador Cruz-Flores, M.D., spoke at the 1st Regional Symposium on Stroke in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The symposium, jointly organized by the American Stroke Association (ASA), World Stroke Association, and Iberoamerican Stroke Organization, was created to raise awareness about stroke symptoms and the importance of timely treatment. This year’s theme, “Una Vida Libre de ACV,” (“A Life Free of Stroke”) emphasized how stroke impacts not only patients, but also their families and caregivers.
Dr. Cruz-Flores, who chairs the Department of Neurology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) and volunteers for the ASA, knows all too well the importance of educating patients, families, and clinicians on how to identify and prevent stroke. In his presentation, Dr. Cruz-Flores emphasized Life’s Simple 7, a set of core lifestyle guidelines established by the American Heart Association for reducing risk factors. They include managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar; staying active; eating healthier; losing weight; and quitting smoking.
As an ASA volunteer, Dr. Cruz-Flores was the lead organizer behind the Latin American initiative that lead to The Declaration of Santiago de Chile in 2015. The call to action provides a roadmap for each country in Latin America, highlighting key strategies and interventions required to prevent and treat stroke. The declaration acknowledges the burden stroke represents in Latin America and calls for improved recognition, prevention, and treatment of these “brain attacks.”
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