Dr Hilary Jones issued viewers a health warning about strokes as Emmerdale's Marlon Dingle is set to face a health battle.
Speaking on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday morning, Dr Hilary discussed the upcoming soap storyline as fan favourite character Marlon will be facing a life-threatening health battle.
The long-running resident of the Yorkshire village, played by Mark Charnock, will be subjected to a terrible health battle next week, as soap bosses want to raise awareness of the warning signs.
In a discussion with Lorraine Kelly, Dr Hilary encouraged viewers to look out for the warning signs of a stroke and urged younger viewers to pay attention, The Mirror reports.
Lorraine said: “Hopefully this will give more information about what to do if somebody has a stroke and what we should be doing about it.”
Dr Hilary replied: “It also reinforces the fact that younger people can have strokes, not just the elderly. We want people to remember the acronym FAST. Act FAST.”
Dr Hilary explained the four points of the acronym to help viewers spot the early warning signs of a stroke, with the F standing for ‘face’.
Dr Hilary said: “Look for any of the dropping of the mouth, if a person can’t smile, that’s a warning sign.”
The A stands for arm, with the GP saying if someone cannot raise both their hands above their head, it is a stroke sign.
He added that S is for speech, saying: “Can they speak clearly or are they slurring and can they understand what you’re saying as well.”
He said the T stands for time, adding: “It’s urgent, so call 999 if you see someone having these kinds of symptoms and signs and record the time when the symptoms started because that’s important in allowing healthcare professionals to determine whether an injection to dissolve a clot is timely or not.”
He added: “Put people in the recovery position if they’re unconscious. That acronym just reminds people what the signs are and to act quickly.”
Emmerdale producer, Laura Shaw, has spoken of the importance of the new soap storyline for Marlon, sharing: “Warm, witty and kind hearted Marlon is undoubtedly one of Emmerdale's most loved characters and with Mark Charnock's sheer skill, craft and incredible range, it felt totally right to play such an incredibly important story as this.
“[Through this storyline], Marlon is highlighting that a stroke can happen at any time and showing the catastrophic consequences it can have on the person affected and their whole family.”
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