Recognise the signs of stroke this National Stroke Week

By Lachlan Durling

Aug 4, 2021

More than 27,000 Australians experienced stroke for the first time last year — or one person every 19 minutes.

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And for regional Australians, the likelihood of stroke is 19 per cent higher.

It’s these statistics that make the FAST message all the more important to reduce the effects of stroke.

“The devastating thing is nearly a quarter of the more than 445,000 Australians living with stroke are under 55,” Goulburn Valley Health divisional clinical director of medicine Arup Bhattacharya said.

“The numbers are quite stark, but more than 80 per cent of strokes can be prevented.”

The Stroke Foundation is reminding people of the FAST acronym this National Stroke Week to help people recognise when someone is having a stroke and act sooner.

“If one side of their face has drooped, they can’t lift both arms (one side is weak and drops) or their speech is slurred, they could be having a stroke — and time is vital,” Dr Bhattacharya said.

“If they are having a stroke, it is an emergency and you should call triple zero.

“In certain types of strokes, for every minute lost we lose nearly two million nerve cells in our brain.

“So the earlier you can receive treatment, the better the outcome.”

Dr Bhattacharya also said GV Health had a comprehensive range of stroke services.

“From hyper acute, cutting-edge clot-busting therapies to care in the acute stroke unit and dedicated stroke rehabilitation — we’re able to be with the patient throughout their journey,” he said.

“We have a partnership with Victorian Stroke Telemedicine program where we seek the experience from leading stoke clinicians.”

The VST brings specialist neurologist care to 16 emergency department sites across Victoria.

“We also have a dedicated multi-disciplinary team to provide comprehensive stroke care,” Dr Bhattacharya said.

Factors that can increase the risk of stroke are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, poor control of diabetes, smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise.

“It’s important to have regular health check-ups with your GP to maintain your blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” Dr Bhattacharya said.

For more information about National Stroke Week visit strokefoundation.org.au