It’s National Stroke Week in Australia, and the Stroke Foundation is urging people to become familiar with the signs of stroke so they can act fast.
A stroke is a brain attack, a sudden interruption of blood flow to part of the brain, causing it to stop working and eventually damaging brain cells.
During a stroke 1.9 million brain cells can be lost per minute. A quick reaction not only affects the treatment path for a person having a stroke but also recovery.
It’s important that people think and act FAST.
FAST represents the ways to identify the signs and symptoms of stroke:
Face drooping
Arm weakness
Speech difficulty
Time to call an ambulance
“Knowing the FAST signs of stroke, and responding promptly by calling 000, can drastically improve the outcomes for someone experiencing a stroke,” says Professor Monique Kilkenny, Head of Big Data, Epidemiology, and Prevention Division, Stroke and Ageing at Monash University.
Time is critical for treatments such as blood-clot busting therapy thrombolysis to work.
“There have been major advances over the last decade in the treatments available for patients with stroke – but reaching hospital in time remains the biggest challenge,” Professor Kilkenny says.
When a stroke happens, the odds of being able to walk afterwards drop every 15 minutes that treatment is delayed.
Clot-dissolving drugs must be given within 4.5 hours of stroke onset, as treatment outside this window can be dangerous.
Time is of the essence. “The big [strokes] are obvious,” explains Alan Barber, professor of neurology at Auckland University. “But for the medium or small ones, a lot of people will ring their doctor and make an appointment for the next day. They’ll think they’ve slept on their arm funny.”
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in Australia. Women are twice as likely to die from stroke than breast cancer.
The number one risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure.
“This week, have a conversation with your loved ones about the signs of stroke and monitoring blood pressure – the biggest risk factor for stroke,” Professor Kilkenny says.
Stroke costs the Australian economy more than $26 billion in lost wellbeing and premature death each year.
The good news is that more than 80 per cent of strokes can be prevented. Managing your stroke risk and living a healthy lifestyle can help prevent you from having a stroke.
See the Stroke Foundation’s guidelines for preventing stroke here.
