HEALTH MUST-READ
How to survive a stroke
The statistics are scary: Stroke is the second biggest killer in New Zealand, claiming around
2500 lives a year.
Every day, around 24 Kiwis have a stroke – that’s 9000 people a year. Those who survive can be left with a major disability that makes it difficult for them to walk, talk or use one side of their body.
There are an estimated 60,000 stroke survivors in New Zealand and many of them need support to help them carry out everyday tasks, such as showering or eating.
While strokes can wreak havoc and change your life forever, they are largely preventable. It’s estimated that the number of stroke cases could be halved if people followed recommendations on how to reduce their risk.
Here are some key facts about strokes and what you can do to lower your chances of having one:
Strokes cause damage to the brain.
A stroke occurs when a blockage, such as a clot, stops blood flowing to the brain (ischaemic stroke) or when a blood vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain (haemorrhagic stroke).
During a stroke, the part of the brain that is affected starts to die and is unable to do its job properly. This can affect your ability to walk, talk, see, read, use your arm or do the daily tasks you did beforehand.
It can also leave you feeling fatigued and inhibit your ability to remember or understand things.
In some cases, depending on the area of the brain affected and the severity of the stroke, it is possible to relearn skills you lost, thanks to rehabilitation.
Many people don’t realise they’re having a stroke. The symptoms of a stroke usually come on suddenly, but it’s not always obvious you’re having one. They can vary in severity, and symptoms may depend on the part of the brain affected. Signs you’re having a stroke include:
Weakness or numbness of the face, arm and/or leg, especially on one side of the body.
Blurry or lost vision in one or both eyes.
Difficulty speaking or understanding what other people are saying.
Dizziness, loss of balance and trouble controlling movements.
It is crucial to get medical help straight away – the sooner the person having the stroke is given clot-busting medication that helps blood to flow through blocked vessels, the more likely brain damage can be reduced.
Lives can even be saved with quick treatment.
There may be clues that you’ve got a greater chance of having a stroke. They are most common in people over 65, although around 25% of people who have them are under that age. The disease is also more likely to affect men, and Maori and Pacific Islanders have an increased risk.
Your chance of having a stroke is also higher if you:
Have heart disease or diabetes
Have high blood pressure Have high blood cholesterol Are a smoker
Have a family history of stroke
Use oral contraceptives Drink alcohol to excess
Are overweight.
If you have stroke symptoms, but they vanish quickly, you may have had a mini-stroke.
A transient ischaemic attack (TIA or ministroke) causes symptoms similar to a full-blown stroke, but they usually pass quickly, sometimes within hours or even minutes. That’s because the clot that blocked blood flowing to the brain has broken down or moved, so the blood can get through again.
If you have noticed that for a short time you had weakness or numbness on one side of your body, had difficulty speaking or understanding what others were saying, suffered from blurred vision or felt dizzy, you need to go to your doctor immediately.